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Tuesday, April 18, 2023

LE GRAND BAIN / SINK OR SWIM (2018)

One more male-bonding/mid-life crisis pic.  The old standby now a genre of its own since THE FULL MONTY/’97 turned unlikely international hit, spawning innumerable retreads.  That said, this iteration pretty irresistible, swapping MONTY’S ‘Regular Joe’ striptease act for middle-aged guys with middle-aged bellies working thru various personal & professional calamities by mastering the art of synchronized swimming.  Gonad-accessorized Esther Williamses they ain’t.  It’s a slam dunk idea with just enough truth behind it (a Swedish amateur swimming club which also inspired a concurrent British film*) to keep things on track.  With separate backstories running at once, director Gilles Lellouche doesn’t always succeed in keeping all eight balls in the air (yeah, I know, the balls are in the water; and there’s sixteen of ‘em), but you’ll either figure it out or fill in what he misses while enjoying his super cast of scene stealers.  Plus, two female coaches just as interesting as the men.  And with that most empathetic of French stars Mathieu Amalric taking the nominal lead in this ensemble piece, you know you’re in good hands.  Even left wanting a bit more from his family’s POV.  Same for most of the guys in here.  Lots of award action/lots of box-office; well deserved.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY/DOUBLE-BILL:  *That British film, SWIMMING WITH MEN/’18 (not seen here), made a much smaller splash (1.5 mill gross to BAIN’s 40) and likely put the kibosh on any thought of Hollywood remake.  Probably just as well as American actors would diet & exercise to make themselves either too fat (‘It’s not really me!’) or too fit (‘Still got it, huh?'), ruining the concept and sense of grounded reality that allows this film to take flight.

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