Wonderful character development!

Sadly Over-hyped

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Blistering performances.

Light hearted but with a serious message about male loneliness and divorce.spotted Wandsworth town hall and Tooting bec lido. Also Croydon clocktower. But which pool was used? Chuckled a bit.

It's not exactly funny (I chuckled maybe twice), yet there's some fun to be had while watching this low-budget British comedy. Perhaps it's the cast full of famous British faces, who all try their best to add some energy to their blandly written and generic characters (Daniel Mays is a stand-out). Maybe it's due to the surprisingly solid direction by Oliver Parker, who adds a visual flair to the film and uses good editing and transitions to effectively tell the generic story. Possibly it's because of the original story (meaning the idea of a film about a group of male synchronised swimmers, and by no means the actual narrative which was completely predictable). I can't quite place my finger on why I didn't not like the film, but I can say with confidence that I had a fairly good time while watching and, while I will never watch it again, it was a good way to spend the afternoon. 6/10

This is definitely a mainstream film with its eyes firmly on the box office... and there is nothing wrong with that!! It is to some extent comedy by numbers and you mayfeel manipulated and as if you have seen something similar before... however Aschlin Ditta does give the story some updated twists not least using synchronised swimming as the subject. This is reliable entertainment and there are a number of laugh out loud moments.The director Oliver Parker is a safe pair of hands and does bring some freshness and originality to the production. Great interaction between the actors especially Brydon, Mays,Graves, Carter,Akhar and Turgoose... although both Horrocks and Riley are wasted.There is a serious message in there about male loneliness and support but I would just go along and enjoy. A feelgood movie that should do well !

Poor old Rob Brydon's Eric is down on his luck. Stuck in a dead end job whilst his wife's political career is flourishing, he convinces himself she's having an affair. As his world begins to crumble around him he seeks solace from the one thing that provides him with a hint of comfort; swimming. In the pool he splashes upon an unusual group of men ranging from 20 to 70 who are also floundering in the deep end of life, but just so happen to be part of a synchronised swimming team. He joins them and together they examine their lives, assess what brought them to this point and find themselves unlikely entrants in the unofficial Men's World Synchronised Swimming Championships.It's a fairly unique basis for a story and one that doesn't quite manage to stay afloat despite the best efforts of an excellent cast.Rob Brydon's natural charm and excellent comic timing is the film's saving grace. Immensely likeable despite his oafish behaviour he does his best with a script which, sadly, doesn't match his considerable talents.There's a handful of laughs to be had along the way, but certainly not enough to make full use of the fine ensemble. They're all a fairly likeable bunch, but not explored enough. Their surfaces are barely scratched so it's hard to feel sorry for any of them, apart from Jim Carter's Ted.A weak love story between Charlotte Riley's Susan and Luke, played by Rupert Graves, isn't believable and certainly not one to root for given the circumstances of the breakdown in his marriage.Director Oliver Parker produces interesting shots, particularly in some of the underwater scenes, and there's a decent score from Charlie Mole accompanying the action.Swimming With Men is a film to watch on a wet Sunday afternoon that will pass 96 minutes, but one that you will probably forget as soon as the credits roll.