Directors: Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard, Janice Rule
A man spends a summer day swimming as many pools as he can all over a quiet suburban town.
In a plush neighbourhood where everyone has sparkling beautiful pools, Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster) impulsively decides to ‘swim’ home – as a matter of speaking, off course. The idea is to go to every house on his way home and swim in their pool.
As he does so, we meet many characters along the way. With each character, we learn more about Ned, who he is, and who he might have been once. At first glance, he comes across as a happily married family man, who looks after himself. He is fit and athletic and in excellent shape for his age. With every character, though, we realize there is more here than the carefree façade.
There are also many heartaches along the way, which in fact increases as he gets closer to home. Once he gets home, we finally discover the truth behind the man. The film does not spoon feed the audience, so you have to read between the lines to understand the situation Ned is in. The ending was heartbreaking in many ways.
But let’s talk about Burt Lancaster. Man, he was perfectly cast in this role. With his great physique and those muscular long legs, he was the perfect candidate to portray Ned. Hell, this man is absolutely yummy! From beginning to end he wears nothing but tight swim trunks – well, and nothing at one stage! He is a feast to the eyes and the film is worth watching just to drool over that body!
Would I watch it again? Yes!
Paul's Movie Reviews 