American Swing (2009)

50% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
59% of users liked it
(3,126 ratings)

Filmmakers Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart explore the last gasp of the sexual revolution with this profile of Plato's Retreat -- New York City's most notorious, 1970s-era sex club. The year was 1977: the city was in the suffocating grip of a heat wave, nerves were rattled due to the energy crisis, and… More Filmmakers Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart explore the last gasp of the sexual revolution with this profile of Plato's Retreat -- New York City's most notorious, 1970s-era sex club. The year was 1977: the city was in the suffocating grip of a heat wave, nerves were rattled due to the energy crisis, and the social unrest was growing. But when the sun went down over the city, the nightlife flourished. The discos were packed, cocaine was all the rage at Studio 54, and over at CBGB the punks were smashing it up. Inspired by the open sexuality in gay clubs all across town, Larry Levenson hatched the idea to open a club where people could have sex freely, without shame or threat of lawful consequences. On the surface Levenson appeared to be just your average family man, but by night he would leave his wife at home to live it up at local swingers clubs. It was with the help of some particularly shady investors, as well as his girlfriend Mary and a series of steamy public-access commercials, that Levenson made his dreams of opening an extravagant, heterosexual sex club a reality. There were no inhibitions at Plato's Retreat, as highlighted by the numerous vintage clips showing the swingers paradise in its heyday. But while the city ultimately failed in their efforts to pass ordinances that would close Plato's Retreat, the club flourished until the closing of its doors on New Year's Eve, 1985, an erotic casualty of the growing AIDS crisis. Interviews with Melvin Van Peebles, Ed Koch, as well as other journalists, celebrities, and actual club employees paint a vivid image of the carefree era before sexuality was a matter of life and death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Jon Hart, Matthew Kaufman
Genres: Documentary

In Theaters: Mar 27, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Apr 14, 2009
Studio: Magnolia

Critic Reviews

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
The film treats Levenson's rapid descent as if someone had turned on the lights at a sex party: scurrying away with pity and irritation that the good times had to end.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
American Swing doesn't have a particularly well-defined point of view, but it is a succinct, entertaining and valuable record of a time that in some ways now seems as remote as the Roaring '20s.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
In the end, the impression isn't that much different from one given by the club's own hairy habitues -- lots of sleazy charm, pounds of gold chains and a smarmy shallowness that goes very, very deep.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Although American Swing pointedly goes out of its way to include positive testimonials from several women who patronized the club, it leaves you feeling queasy.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Directors Jon Hart and Matthew Kaufman don't delve deeply enough into the psyche of club founder Larry Levenson or the culture he exploited. But they do present an entertaining snapshot of his brief reign as New York's self-appointed King of Swing.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
A shrewdly made documentary about the rise and fall of Plato's Retreat, the infamous Manhattan sex club of the '70s and '80s.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
A scary reminder of the potential physical and emotional consequences of indiscriminate mating.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Certainly, the sex was exciting, as well as controversial. But Plato's Retreat also represented an effort to think through the mores behind monogamy, to challenge assumptions and imagine an alternative.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A scary reminder of the potentially-disastrous physical and emotional consequences of indiscriminate mating.
Brian Orndorf, DVDTalk.com
The pearls of wisdom are best extracted from the minds of those who stood on the front line, people who walked into the seminal fluid line of fire and lived to tell the tale.
Staci Layne Wilson, Buzzine Magazine
Can't get it up.
Brent Simon, Shared Darkness
There's glossy surface engagement as an artifact snapshot of the sexual revolution, but everything about American Swing is only thumbnail-deep; it doesn't have, ahem, the rigorous thrust necessary to leave a lasting impression.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A poorly-done documentary that manages to make the phenomenon of swinging boring.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
An essential document to the rich history of New York, "American Swing" is too short sighted for the vision of its controversial subject.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
A lively and moderately engaging documentary, but its lack of thorough explorations leave you feeling slightly empty, underwhelmed and yearning for more insights.
Diva Velez, TheDivaReview.com
American Swing is an entertaining, oddly affectionate portrait of Plato's Retreat's Larry Levenson, and a brash, grainy, warts%u2013and-all Polaroid of an era of sexual history.
Fr. Chris Carpenter, Movie Dearest
Interesting and concise documentary about the positive and destructive effects of casual sex.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
American Swing could use the flair of similar portraits of disco-era debauchery like Boogie Nights or Inside Deep Throat, but it's even-handed in capturing the operation's ambition and hubris. Just don't bring an appetite.
Frank Lovece, Film Journal International
Repetitive, narratively fractured, and padded with more hardcore inserts than hardcore facts, this amateurish documentary about the disco-era Manhattan sex club Plato's Retreat skimps on context and basic information. It's a fan site on celluloid.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

This eye-opening documentary captures the mood of America when the sexual revolution pendulum has swung a little too far and slezy rot had started to set in. It looked like the 1970's porn in the live sex club, Plato's Retreat created by Larry Levenson - the "King of… More
This eye-opening documentary captures the mood of America when the sexual revolution pendulum has swung a little too far and slezy rot had started to set in. It looked like the 1970's porn in the live sex club, Plato's Retreat created by Larry Levenson - the "King of Swing". It is a roaringly entertaining but ultimately bittersweet look at the truly fascinating man.
Walter M

One of the complaints over the years about documentaries is how very unsexy they usually are. To contradict that complaint, along comes "American Swing" which is about the rise and fall of Larry Levenson who owned the legendary swinger's club Plato's Retreat in… More
One of the complaints over the years about documentaries is how very unsexy they usually are. To contradict that complaint, along comes "American Swing" which is about the rise and fall of Larry Levenson who owned the legendary swinger's club Plato's Retreat in New York City. While it is implied that he was just there to have sex with everything that moved, at least he was open about his desires without shame, even going on any number of talk shows including Phil Donahue. The documentary is liberally illustrated with explicit photographs and videos taken inside the club, which while interesting from a historical angle, do not improve on anything we could have imagined ourselves. Of the talking heads, there are adult entertainment veterans including Ron Jeremy, Dian Hanson and Annie Sprinkle but the movie makes no connection between the pornography industry and swinging. On a wider basis, the documentary partially successfully fits the club in a wider discussion of the sexual revolution, especially related to suburban couples, as Plato's Retreat allowed suburbanites from Long Island and New Jersey(definitely NOT my parents, by the way) to escape into anonymity where their neighbors would be unaware what they were up to(unless they were there, too). However, the film fails to mention the second club on 34th Street was just a short walk away from Penn Station. The most liberating part for the participants was sometimes not the sex but the acceptance of all body types. For women, it could be a mixed bag, either a continuation of patriarchal attitudes or a free exploration of their own desires. Like all parties, the one at Plato's Retreat had to end, too. Where once the worst that could happen would be a bad case of crabs, in the 80's it was AIDS and the end of an era.
Glenn G

Highly entertaining yet quite sad expose of the infamous hetero sex club in 70s/80s NYC. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of lush score against pornographic images, which added some emotional heft to the proceedings, and some of the interviews are highly entertaining. It's a… More
Highly entertaining yet quite sad expose of the infamous hetero sex club in 70s/80s NYC. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of lush score against pornographic images, which added some emotional heft to the proceedings, and some of the interviews are highly entertaining. It's a wonderful time capsule of a time no so long ago where clearly waxing was not an option oft-explored. Really does make you want to pull a LOT of hairs out of a LOT of genital areas!
Sarah P

Nothing groundbreaking, but it was entertaining. Might've been better if it was focused on "swinging" in general rather than on one man.
Sunil J

I'm not a prude in the slightest but wow. As interesting as a visit to Plato's retreat would have been, I would definitely not have been able to swim in a bacteria infested pool or participated in anything in the Matress Room with it's damp cushions! It's cool to… More
I'm not a prude in the slightest but wow. As interesting as a visit to Plato's retreat would have been, I would definitely not have been able to swim in a bacteria infested pool or participated in anything in the Matress Room with it's damp cushions! It's cool to see these grandparent types talk about the orgies they were in back in the day. Good for them.