Swimming with Sharks

Plot synopsis:
Buddy Ackerman, an influential movie mogul, hires Guy, a naïve young writer, as his assistant. Guy, who has just graduated from film school, believes that his new job is a golden opportunity. Despite warnings from Rex, the outgoing assistant who has become hardened under Buddy's reign, Guy remains optimistic.
Buddy turns out to be the boss from hell; he treats Guy like a slave, subjects him to sadistic (and public) verbal abuse, and has him bending over backwards to do meaningless errands that go beyond just his work life. Guy is humiliated and forced to bear the brunt of his insults. Guy's only solace is his new girlfriend, Dawn, a producer at Buddy's firm. When Buddy apparently fires Guy in a phone call, Guy snaps and takes Buddy hostage in order to exact revenge. He ties Buddy up and subjects him to severe beatings, torture and mind games. It is later revealed that due to a botched call waiting function on Buddy's home phone, Guy hears Buddy and Dawn arranging a rendezvous at Buddy's house.
Once in Guy's power, Buddy reveals for the first time a human, vulnerable side. He tells a tragic story about his wife's death on Christmas Eve 12 years prior and reveals that he, too, was once a bullied assistant to powerful, tyrannical men and spent a decade putting up with such abuse to get to where he is today. He also reveals that abusing Guy was his way of teaching him that he must earn his success. Dawn arrives at the scene to find Guy aiming a gun at Buddy's face, whereupon Buddy tells Guy that he has to pull the trigger in order to get ahead in the business. After a moment's indecision, Guy fires the gun.
The climax of the film reveals that Guy killed Dawn (who is blamed for kidnapping and torturing Buddy), and was subsequently promoted. In the final scene, Guy coldly tells a former colleague to find out what he really wants and then do anything to get it, echoing the numerous times he has been told this by both Buddy and Dawn. During this speech, Buddy passes by his office, makes eye contact with Guy and gestures to call Guy into his office for a meeting. Guy excuses himself, takes a pass on a request for dinner since he has to wrap Christmas presents and goes into Buddy's office. The movie ends with Buddy shutting his office doors as other personnel pass by.

Tags: comedy, cruelty, murder, bleak, satire, revenge, sadist

Review:
The movie charts his learning of the ways of Hollywood through becoming an assistant for fastidious big-shot producer Buddy Ackerman (Spacey), and his subsequent unlearning of the 'normal' moral values that apply almost anywhere else.
"Swimming with Sharks" was made right around the time Kevin Spacey was becoming a rising star - his name was becoming well known enough that he could help finance low budget movies.
It works better as a dark satire - I expected something like "War of the Roses," but instead I got a Tarantino version of "Office Space" (complete with torture, violence, revenge and mayhem!).Frank Whaley stars as Guy, a typical nobody who dreams of being a somebody.
(Even his name confines him to anonymity.) When he lands a job working for world-famous producer Buddy Ackerman (Spacey), his future looks bright...until he realizes what he's in for.Spacey delivers the best performance of the film, yelling, screaming, and throwing hissy fits practically every time he's on screen.
Joel Silver is rumored to have been the basis for Ackerman.The movie isn't great and never really achieves the amount of laughs I wanted but if you view it as a very dark drama-comedy you're more likely to enjoy it.
The best aspects are the witty script and Kevin Spacey's scene-stealing performance; together he has good chemistry with Whaley and the movie succeeds based on the actors' success in their roles..
This film would be worth watching just for Kevin Spacey's portrayal of the ultimate boss from hell, Buddy Ackerman, but there's also much more than that going on.
One of the key lines of dialogue towards this end is Ackerman's, "If you're not a rebel by 21, you've got no heart, and if you haven't gone establishment by 30, you've got no brain".Ackerman obviously has problems or he wouldn't be acting quite in the way that he is, but director George Huang and Spacey are also careful to show that Ackerman has a lot more going on than surface behavior--he's acting the way that he is purposefully, both to get his due now as part of the establishment and to coyly manipulate his young, meek and abused underling, Guy (Frank Whaley), along with everyone else he comes into contact with.
Swimming with Sharks sees Guy (Frank Whaley) attempt to "turn the tables" on his abusive boss Buddy (Kevin Spacey), and while this makes the film simple and unoriginal in terms of plot, it is a cut above the rest thanks to the performances of its small cast.One would assume that we would root for Guy, the innocent graduate demeaned by his aggressive boss, but the way the film tells the story prevents us from empathizing with him (as does his awful haircut); knowing that he tortures Buddy physically for his mental abuse complicates our response, and puts us on Buddy's side, allowing us to enjoy the games Buddy plays with Guy. This is something that's made very easy to do by the acting.
Kevin Spacey is typically excellent as Buddy Ackerman and is the most engaging character in the film, remaining funny and manipulative throughout, even while being tortured and held hostage, as well as handling the more serious emotional aspects of his character expertly.
The hostage situation revelations pull the audience between the impassioned-now-heartless Buddy and the desperate and confused Guy, but ultimately good does not prevail, and the shooting and Buddy's manipulation of the situation remove us from both characters as the film ends.All in all, Swimming with Sharks is an enjoyable film.
This low-cost(less than $1M) film must not have had a very big marketing budget -- it completely escaped me at the time -- but it's one of the best performances Kevin Spacey I've ever seen.
Not that there is any secret to be revealed here - pretty much everything you need to know about the soulless, spirit-crushing side of movie-making is contained in Raymond Chnadler's 1945 essay "Writer's in Hollywood", which contains more horror than any of the celluloid parodies it has since inspired.Swimming with Sharks is the tale of innocent Guy (a freshly scrubbed Frank Whaley), whose monster boss is tinsel town king-maker Buddy Ackerman, a screaming, mood-shifting bully who dangles just enough opportunity before Guy to keep him on his leash.
One would be hard pressed to find as fitting an example of this Hollywood introspective neo- realism as writer/director George Huang's semi-autobiographical (but hopefully only to an extent...) Swimming With Sharks - a biting, cynical look at the interior of the film industry which challenges the preconceptions of the industry and its bleak aims.Like Robert Altman's The Player, Swimming with Sharks offers a harshly critical commentary on the corporate moneymaking machine that is Hollywood, but from the opposite end: the perspective of a low level assistant striving to rise in the ranks.
Kevin Spacey is the main pleasure to behold here as the film's main selling point, the "boss from Hell" figure Buddy Ackerman.
Kevin Spacey, perhaps the finest actor on the planet, is brilliant as usual in his hilarious turn as Buddy Ackerman, one of the nastiest characters that you'll ever see anywhere on film.
On with the movie, the story of an ambitious youngster who wishes to engage in a key role of the film industry and starts to work as an assistant for a completely manipulating, ungreatful, demeaning movie producer george huang(the writer and director) could come up with.
the movie begins with guy (frank whaley) kidnapping buddy ackerman in his own house and concurrently whit guy's act of abuse to his hated boss, unfolds the story of a young kid with high hopes who was entangled both in the cynic world of his women loving, hair losing boss and in a relationship with a struggling movie producer - dawn (michelle forbes- now on "homicide - life on the streets").
the movie continues up to the point where guy has to decide which of those worlds to choose and now i won't add anything in fear of disclosing the end (and its unpredictable no matter which option you chose)the movie is a complete delight and all i can say is - this may not be the best film you ever seen but it will sure leave enough of an impression to more than justify the two hours of your leisure time.9 out of 10 in my scale.
Kevin Spacey( Buddy Ackerman),"The Tower of Babble",'02 did such a fantastic job of acting his horrible part as a boss, you were convinced he was a real person.
Frank Whaley,(Guy) "A Good Night to Die",'03, was the poor slob who started out his new career under the wonderful supervisor, or Boss, Buddy Ackerman.
The film is about cut-throat movie producer Buddy Ackerman (Spacey) who brutally indoctrinates his assistant Guy (Whaley) into the world of film making.
I thought Spacey was rather one-dimensional as an actor, but this began to change my mind, as reinforced by his outstanding multi-dimensional work in K-Pac, among others.This movie probably means more to Hollywood insiders who have to try to cope within the "system" than the rest of us (we've all had jerks for a boss, right???).
Whaley is very good and the mousey personality suits his looks.Overall it may be a little hard to watch because it is a very bitter tale from Huang, however Spacey is a master and delivers a performance that shows why he became famous..
So I will delve more into Whaley's character.Guy is climbing up the ladder, and anyone who has worked in an impersonal corporate environment will relate, and find humor in this; the scene where Benicio del Toro tells him to take up smoking; ("You'll need it in this place")....also the scene where Kevin Spacey demands that Guy ..."keep up to date on any hair replacement products"....There are many great lines, depicting the superficiality and insane pettiness in many offices.Michelle Forbers portrays a producer, whom Spacey has used before; ("Get your pretty little butt in my office"...Spacey says to her); today that may cause a lawsuit in the corporate environment;but it is what he was surely thinking; if not worse.One of the more pertinent scenes is when Michelle Forbes is asking Guy ...."Why do you take his s - - -"; and Guy responds that....
Swimming with Sharks is the 1994 cult comedy about a young, naive, starry-eyed, kid called Guy, (played by Frank Whaley.) who dreams of making it big in the world of Hollywood producers.
(played by Michelle Forbes.) And as their relationship develops, Guy slowly becomes more and more frustrated with Buddy until he finally decides to get revenge.Swimming with Sharks fits right in with other 90s films like Office Space, Fight Club, and Falling Down.
Another problem I have with the film is that the other two leads seem so weak when compared with Kevin Spacey, don't get me wrong neither of them or bad, and Frank Whaley is able to pull of his character fairly well, and has some good line delivery.
I really thought that this film was good.Kevin Spacey plays a film executive(Buddy) but he is also the boss from hell.
But, Kevin Spacey is an excellent, verbal tsunami as Buddy Ackerman – and totally believable because he is a great actor.Frank Whaley's Guy is certainly out of his element working for Buddy – he wants to write and make meaningful movies, not be a gofer that is verbally abused for getting Equal instead of Sweet & Low. Michelle Forbes' Dawn, who also wants to make meaningful movies, seems way out of Guy's league.The ending leaves a lot to be desired..
Guy (Frank Whaley) has finally had it with his boss Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), and he takes him hostage with a gun.
A very funny & underrated film, featuring Kevin Spacey's best acting performance EVER!.
It is worth renting 8 times over to watch Spacey's do his foul mouth, smarmy, sarcastic, ultra-egomaniac act better than he has ever done before and better than he has done since.Spacey plays "Buddy Ackerman", a powerful Hollywood studio executive with a menacing reputation as the "Boss From Hell".
He quickly learns that Buddy really is the `Boss From Hell' like his former assistant warned him and the movie is about him going off the deep end as a result.Spacey's performance is not only ruthless and menacing, it is bitterly hilarious and downright amazing.
Kevin Spacey gives what I think is the third-best performance of his career (besides "American Beauty" and "The Usual Suspect") as boss-from-hell Buddy Ackerman, who at first starts off as simply a two-dimensional demon, yelling, cursing, and generally making life miserable for everyone, but after a while, as more is revealed about both Buddy's life and the way Hollywood *really* works, becomes almost understandable.
more because they seemed so believable) that you feel a little guilty laughing at anything.All in all, I think everyone did a good job in this movie, and unlike a lot of people, I thought the ending was just right.
So, if you can bring yourself to actually watch a Kevin Spacey film these days, this one will certainly showcase much of the acting talent and stage presence that would cement his 'A-list' credentials.Spacey plays 'Buddy Ackerman' - a 'Harvey Weinstein-esque' type film producer who is well-known in Hollywood circles (you can write your own comparison gag for that one!).
Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) is a Vice President at a major Hollywood studio, and Guy (Frank Whaley) is his new assistant, replacing Rex (Benicio Del Toro).
Yes, Kevin Spacey was good as Buddy and the rest of the cast was also good, but generally the movie falls apart because we don't really see a good enough reason for Guy (Whaley) to lose his mind so badly.
It's notable that the one dream of authenticity in the film--Guy talking about moving to Wyoming with Dawn (Michelle Forbes)--is treated and dispensed with as an unreachable fantasy, and it's also notable (and is fairly literally pointed out in the film) that Dawn, the one character who tries to demand being more authentic amidst the "shark infested waters" of the professional world, basically never gets anywhere.In the highly metaphorical ending of the film, things remain manipulative, political and backstabbing, and in that climate, at least two out of three characters "win".
It's notable that the one dream of authenticity in the film--Guy talking about moving to Wyoming with Dawn (Michelle Forbes)--is treated and dispensed with as an unreachable fantasy, and it's also notable (and is fairly literally pointed out in the film) that Dawn, the one character who tries to demand being more authentic amidst the "shark infested waters" of the professional world, basically never gets anywhere.In the highly metaphorical ending of the film, things remain manipulative, political and backstabbing, and in that climate, at least two out of three characters "win".
Like Robert Altman's "The Player," this is one of those thrillers about people in "the biz" who are driven to the breaking point by how cruel L.A. can really be.The film's writer/director George Huang himself was a former personal assistant to some of the biggest names in Hollywood, has described the movie as "20% autobiographical." Much of this one is said to be based on his experience working for noted mega-mogul producer Joel Silver for Columbia Pictures.
Like Robert Altman's "The Player," this is one of those thrillers about people in "the biz" who are driven to the breaking point by how cruel L.A. can really be.The film's writer/director George Huang himself was a former personal assistant to some of the biggest names in Hollywood, has described the movie as "20% autobiographical." Much of this one is said to be based on his experience working for noted mega-mogul producer Joel Silver for Columbia Pictures.
I was also scared as an audience member every time the newbie opened his mouth...I wanted to shout at the screen and yell - "No, you'll only get your ear bent by Buddy!!" It is a shame that this film is not so universally shown and known - i think the writing is as sharp as the acting and actors - Micheele Forbes, Benicio del Toro (Yes him) Spacey and Frank Whalley - all appear in fine form and also the ending (which i will not give away) is an amazing twist - true Holloywood!
He is outstanding in this film where he stars as the pushy boss that go's too far and makes Frank Whaleys life a living hell as a P.A.The film follows Whaley's character (Guy) throughout his days at the office to the eventual breakdown and confrontation with Spacey (Buddy).
I saw it five times that weekend.Spacey's portrayal of Buddy Ackerman, the boss from hell, is right on target, and will go down as his best performance up until 1999's 'American Beauty' (in my opinion it was better than Beauty, but the critics apparently didn't think so).
Frank Whaley, as Guy, the films protagonist, is Spacey's equal, or pretty close, he gives a great, underrated performance here.
I rented this movie exclusively because Kevin Spacey is in it, and he does a good job, even if this isn't his best film.
All the other actors do their roles well enough to make the movie good, but they are not working on the same level with the exception of Benicio Del Torro who matches Spacey with his own talent and charisma, but Benicio is not in the film very long.
At the same time he is both hysterical and terrifying.Frank Whaley is passable as Buddy's assistant Guy, but it is Spacey who owns this movie.
It follows Guy (Frank Whaley) who is a clean-shaven enthusiastic new recruit into this unique world landing himself a job as the personal assistant to Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) an expletive throwing repugnant studio executive whose addition to your CV opens every door imaginable but is counteracted so much by his demeanour that many would find it not worth the trouble.Guy seems to have the determination to see it through helped by script writer and love interest Dawn (Michelle Forbes) but after working for the man for over a year, cracks begin to surface and Guy is finally pushed too far showing up at Buddy's home in the middle of the night intent on revenge.
Add all of this together to an unexpected ending and it makes for an interesting watch.Yes there are moments where I felt things were not quite working and the relationship between Dawn and Guy lacked that believability factor but Swimming With Sharks certainly made the time fly and has enough to keep it fresh in the mind for a couple of days at the very least.For further reviews feel free to check out: http://www.fanaticalaboutfilms.com.
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS (1995) ***1/2 Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes.
Usually on the mark black comedy a la "The Player" set in Hollywood with novice assistant Whaley the brunt of his employer's scorn, movie executive Spacey (in one darkly funny turn), The Boss From Hell who winds up paying dearly for his humiliating demeanor.
Lead Kevin Spacey, who also served as one of the film's producers, gives a controlled and focused performance as the power-mad mogul whose ego is out of control; he does good work, and yet the character doesn't ring true.
Sure, Kevin Spacey is fantastic in this film, but that still doesn't help over come the fact that the story is weak and petty, the lead character is nothing more than a two-dimensional cut-out representing the p***y frustrations and alter ego of the writer, and that the ending makes little sense.
Kevin Spacey is just the sort of actor that always seems to do that."Swimming with Sharks," is the story of a young man, Guy ( Frank Whaley), who is determined to make his mark in the Movie industry.
This film has Kevin Spacey at his best, acting like a jerk!