LastingAware The greatest movie ever!

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Filmfreak (studio-54) Exerpts from the German site: "Das Manifest..."What appears to to look like a cheap soft-sex-film, turns into a real discovery under the cunning hands of newcomer Stephan Brenninkmeijer. Not only does he avoid all the clichés that usually comes with a theme like this, he also succeeds in giving you the feeling that most other films about this topic lack... erotic tingles.Instead of plunging into a lot of fumbling in the dark, Brenninkmeijer builds an atmosphere, he gives us a chance to care for the characters and he doesn't shy away from cutting these tensions short, just to build them up again. As happens so frequently in real life."Swingers" didn't do to well in the Dutch cinema's but turned out to be a front runner in the video and DVD stores.Hopefully sales in Germany also boosts for this little gem, so Epix can treat us more often with such a pearl.(for the complete review check out http://www.dasmanifest.net/03/1020.php )

Steef To shed a light on previous comments.The film is (after 7 weeks) still shown in Belgium.The largest newspaper in Holland gave it 4 stars out of 5.The film was picked up by the biggest network in Holland (RTL4).This film devides the critics.The most popular talkshow in Holland (Barend en van Dorp) promoted the film, stating that the film was grossly mis-marketed and it should have been distributed in much larger numbers.It is clear that this film is controversial, looking at the mixed reactions. For me, that would be a trigger to see this film.Stephan.

ArnoldP I don't understand the people here. The film is neither as good as as bad as some people say here. Except for De Kok the acting is OK. The problem with the film is mainly the script. The characters are not believable. The sex is done okay, but the psychology behind the people makes very little sense. The film doesn't look good, but what do you expect? The film was shot for very little money on video. Off course then it doesn't look as good as a normal film, duh! The one thing I do agree on is that the music is bad. Sounds like a cheap soft erotic film from the '80's. The film is not good, okay, but you have to give some credit for pulling this of without any money.

jade_boterveld Put four people in one room and let tension run high. It has been done before in film history, but when it's done well, it can produce 'Big Cinema'. 'Swingers' is at times 'Big Cinema'. It's Brenninkmeijer's second feature and he turns out to be a great actor's director and writer of sharp dialog.A film like 'Swingers', with only four characters, stands or falls with the acting. And although it's their first major role in a feature film, all four play out their characters very well. Ellen van der Koogh plays a beautiful but insecure woman; Danny de Kok is like a young puppy who gets let loose in the woods for the first time; Nienke Brinkhuis is the unsatisfiable self and Joep Sertons plays the quite husband who seems to be at ease with his swinging situation.Especially the first part of Swingers is mouthwatering. It starts with Julian who screams up his confidence while shaving but it really starts to get interesting from the moment Timo and Alex arrive at the house. How to act when you meet your date for the first time knowing you will have some steamy moments with for the weekend?The first clumsy moves are hysterical. While sitting uncomfortably in the livingroombench, they are overly interested in their daily work and professions and the words 'cosy' are spoken before it really had a chance to set in. Every once and a while Diana escapes to the kitchen to get more drinks an Julian follows to give her a hand. Fortunately they have picked an awesome house to play their game. A house were a swimmingpool and a sauna are commonplace. Alex takes the initiative and soon they are skinnydipping to get things started were they have come for.The biggest credit you can give 'Swingers´ is the way in which the emotional balance shifts gradually. Those who started out vulnerable evolve more secure while the others use their self-consciousness to shield themselves for the truth. The way the characters throw each other glances, the things they say, the mindgames they play: it's all as subtle as it is venomous. Although the film gets a bit slow at the point of the 'Big Moment' and 'the morning after', it doesn't hide the fact that with 'Swingers', Brenninkmeijer delivered a film of international standing.