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Entertainment Media Analysis Report
A service to our youth through you,
their parents and grandparents, in His name by His Word


MAR2295
Swim Fan (2002), PG-13
Analysis Date: September 7, 2002
CAP Score: 40
CAP Influence Density: 1.20

MinMax: -88

Swim Fan (2002) CAP Mini-thermometers




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NOTE: If you do not want the plot, ending, or "secrets" of a movie spoiled for you, skip the Summary/Commentary. In any case, be sure to visit the Findings/Scoring section -- it is completely objective to His Word and is the heart of the CAP Entertainment Media Analysis Model applied to this movie.






SUMMARY / COMMENTARY:


If Scriptural references appear, the full text appears at the end of the Summary / Commentary likely using a mix of KJV and NIV.


SWIM FAN (R) -- ...teenage version of Fatal Attraction.

Production: Forrest Films, Further Films, GreeneStreet Films Inc.
Distribution: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
Director(s): John Polson
Producer(s): Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr., Marcy Drogin, Jamie Gordon, John Penotti, Courtney Potts, Allison Lyon Segan, Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams, Bradley Yonover
Written by/Screenplay: Charles F. Bohl, Phillip Schneider
Cinematography/Camera: Giles Nuttgens
Music: John Debney. Louis Febre
Film Editing: Sarah Flack
Casting: Amanda Harding, Mindy Marin
Production Design: Kalina Ivanov
Art Direction: Frank White


I will never be able to figure out the MPAA and am no longer going to try. This movie is NOT fit for kids (or anybody else for that matter). It is every bit as "R" as any R-rated movie ever made. Yes, it is a "R-13" .. For example, a teenage girl massages the privates of a teenage boy to seduce him. All for your 13 year olds and younger in this teenage version of Fatal Attraction. That I say "teenage version" does not mean the thrust of it is toned down ... any. It just means the filmmakers are now thrusting the same cold brutality at teenagers, and younger.

Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is a high school varsity swim jock destined for greatness as soon as the scouts see him in action. Standing at his side is wholesome wannabe Amy ((Shiri Appleby). Along comes Madison Bell (Erika Christensen), the helpless southern belle. Conveniently being unable to get her book locker open while Ben is around, 'poor little ole me' Madison saunters up to Ben and convinces him to open it for her with a hair burette of her own. Successful, Ben becomes the gallant gentleman for the southern belle. And so is Madison successful -- at starting a relationship with Ben even if only in her mind. A relationship they both come to regret.

Madison proceeds to plan and execute maneuvers to further her relationship with Ben. She even strips to her underwear to seduce Ben in the swimming pool. And there is nothing "artful" about it. It is pornographic. This is where Christensen portrays an almost nude teenage girl massaging the privates of a teenage boy to get her way with him after he resists all other attempts at seduction. After forcing Ben to tell her he loves her in the middle of her seduction of him, she takes it to have been sincere and demands that he reciprocate further. When sobriety returns and Ben tries to avoid her and let her down easily, she turns up the heat with just about every imaginable tactic and trickery to extort him emotionally and socially, irrespective of the human cost.

As I warn everyone who reads our analyses, this service is for His little ones (which includes at-home teens) through their parents and grandparents in His name by His Word. To that end I will not be intimidated by concern for spoiling a movie when the truth about it must be known to mom/dad so they can make an informed decision on their own about whether a film is fit for their kids (or themselves) without having to sit through it to know.

Bell continues to try her worst to manipulate everyone in Ben's life to effect her. She caused the wrong medication for an elderly man under Ben's care as a hospital worker and nearly cost the elderly man his life, just as a signal to Ben. While driving Ben's truck Bell hit Amy on her scooter and put her in the hospital. Bell killed one of Ben's swim teammates with a baseball bat and threw him in the pool Ben was using to implicate him. After this happened, Bell was discovered for what she really was and killed two police officers as they transported her to jail. Bell even handcuffed wheelchair-bound Amy to the wheelchair and shoved her into the swimming pool. Ben was successful at saving Amy but Bell got pulled into the pool by Ben as she tried to kill Ben and Amy with a long pole. Bell could not swim. Ben had time to save her too -- but did not. Another aberrant behavior template - vigilante justice. That is Ben and Amy looking at Bell's submerged body in the image to the right. This is an evil movie that can serve no other purpose for the young except to corrupt their decision-making processes and coping skills when confronted with anything that appears even close to similar on the surface, even if only imagined. This is the screen version of "Hell hath no fury like that of woman scorned." After your 13 year old (or younger) daughter sees this movie, will her sanity prevail in her first or next social jilting or will it be influenced to whatever degree by this warehouse of evil ideas? Even the county prosecutor after the Paducah, KY school shootings said "Kids don't think up these things on their own."

Swim Fan earned a score of zero in each of Wanton Violence/Crime and Sex/Homosexuality and eight in Impudence/Hate. How in the world can there be so much corruptive behavior in a movie and the MPAA still give it a rating that is an open door to all ages? Just look at those CAP thermometers for this movie. Do you really want your kids to see this kind of "entertainment?"

Necking in underwear. Stripping for sex in a truck. Teenage seduction [Eph. 4:19] and intercourse (teenage seduction cost John the Baptist his head [Matt. 14:1 - 11]). Teen drinking [**, Luke 1:15]. Sexual offers between teens. Planning cohabitation for sex by minors [1Cor. 7:2]. A teen holing a knife to another teen's throat. Teen murder and attempted murder. And more. Much more. All for your children.

The listing in the Findings/Scoring section reveals all that was noted.


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SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S)
If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ]. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page.

  • Eph. 4:19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. [Though this is speaking to the practice of homosexuality, it applies to any sexual immorality which includes the practice of homosexuality.]
  • Matt. 14:1 - 11 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. ** A recent study revealed that adolescent exposure to drinking in entertainment leads to an undeniable increase in substance abuse: Relation Between Parental Restrictions on Movies and Adolescent Use of Tobacco and Alcohol . The prevalence of adolescents having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was 46% of those who had no restrictions in their entertainment diet.
  • Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. [Speaking is the angel that appeared to Zechariah, promising Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth a son - John the Baptist, but it also says that not drinking aloholic beverages at all will find favor in the eyes of the Lord. Though it is not a sin to drink, God knows of our tendency to excess. And the "strong drink" of Jesus' day was less potent than our dry wine. What does that say about our liquor of up to 75% alcohol (150 proof)?]
  • 1Cor. 7:2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. [At an appropriate age.]

    *******Food for Daily Thought*******
  • 1 Cor. 15:33 (KJV) Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (NIV) Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.
  • Jude 4 For certain men* whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. [*men: anthropos {anth'-ro-pos}, generic, a human being, whether male or female]
  • Matt. 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto [or for] one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto [or for] me.
  • Luke 17:2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. [cause by teaching or example]
  • Ps. 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
  • John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
  • 1 Thess. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.


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    As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie.
  • FINDINGS / SCORING:


    Swim Fan (2002) CAP Thermometers



    Wanton Violence/Crime (W):
  • bully rudeness
  • planting incriminating things to extort sexually
  • threat of life
  • trickery to hurt/get even, repeatedly
  • breaking and entering by ten
  • assault with scalpel
  • knife to throat
  • assault with injury
  • reckless driving to rescue
  • kidnapping
  • attempted murder by crowning
  • multiple assaults
  • defensive killing by drowning
  • attempted murder by drugs

    Impudence/Hate (I)(1):
  • 13 uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary
  • lies to mother
  • insult to the elderly
  • teen boy narrowly avoiding a traffic fatality due to gawking at a teen girl on sidewalk
  • lust for escapism
  • additional lying
  • arrogance toward fair authority
  • teen girl in boys locker room
  • son's arrogance against mother
  • skipping class to meet a boy

    Sex/Homosexuality (S):
  • teens necking in underwear, stripping for sex in truck,multiple scenes
  • male humping the back of another male with his pelvis
  • sex talk, innuendo, comments, some vulgar
  • teens kissing/snuggling in school
  • sex offers and requests between teens
  • porn playing cards
  • planning cohabitation for sex
  • teen girl stripping to underwear to "swim" when she cannot swim
  • teen girl seducing tee boy
  • teen girl massaging teen boy's privates
  • teen intercourse (gender-specific parts unseen)
  • flashbacks of teens in intercourse
  • teen girl in boys locker room
  • dressing to maximize skin exposure and/or female form
  • inappropriate touch

    Drugs/Alcohol (D):
  • smoking
  • teen drinking
  • teen drinking party

    Offense to God (O)(2):
  • three uses of God's name in vain without the four letter expletive

    Murder/Suicide (M)(3):
  • murder by baseball bat (mechanism unseen)
  • two gunfire murders (only flash of gunfire seen)



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    NOTE: The CAP Analysis Model makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse or for manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior or imagery, or for camouflaging such ignominy with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure or example from the sinful display or the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. This is NOT a movie review service. It is a movie analysis service to parents and grandparents to tell them the truth about movies using the Truth.


    "There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our nearly seven years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings.





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    (1) As noted in CAP Special Report-001, "Investigation Area and Scoring Trend," of the six CAP Investigation Areas, Impudence/Hate was the strongest presence in all four movie classifications. It has a strong revelation about the entertainment media.

    (2) The use of the three/four letter word vocabulary without God's name in vain is incorporated into the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area. The use of God's name with or without the four letter expletive is incorporated into the Offense to God Investigation Area. There is no duplication.

    (3) Only portrayal of successful murder or suicide are incorporated into Murder/Suicide. Portrayal of attempts to commit murder or suicide and deaths by police action or war are incorporated into Wanton Violence/Crime.





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