Bobby G. Can't Swim (1999)

70% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
58% of users liked it
(196 ratings)

John-Luke Montias makes a triple-threat debut as writer, director and star of the tense urban drama Bobby G. Can't Swim. Bobby Grace (John-Luke Montias) is a small-time drug dealer who is just trying to keep himself above water, selling cocaine to a collection of losers and ne'er-do-wells in New… More John-Luke Montias makes a triple-threat debut as writer, director and star of the tense urban drama Bobby G. Can't Swim. Bobby Grace (John-Luke Montias) is a small-time drug dealer who is just trying to keep himself above water, selling cocaine to a collection of losers and ne'er-do-wells in New York's Hell's Kitchen. Despite the pathetic circumstances of his life, Bobby and his pals -- girlfriend Lucy (Susan Mitchell), who makes her living as a hooker; Popeet (Norman Middleton), a blind man who has a knack for finding salable objects, and Coco (Vincent Vega), Bobby's supplier -- are convinced that somehow their lives will get better. One day, Bobby's ship would seem to have finally come it; he meets an upscale customer who wants to buy an entire kilo of coke. The deal should earn Bobby a payday big enough to allow him to get out of dealing, but the customer demands product before payment, and when the payment doesn't arrive, Bobby's gravy train turns into an anchor threatening to take him to the bottom of the ocean. Bobby G. Can't Swim received an enthusiastic response in its screening at the 1999 Santa Barbara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: John-Luke Montias
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Mar 6, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Oct 4, 2005

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Decidedly a minor item that's been on the shelf for a while but is nonetheless an effective calling card for its writer-director- star.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
An impressive if flawed effort that indicates real talent.
Megan Turner, New York Post
Montias ... pumps a lot of energy into his nicely nuanced narrative and surrounds himself with a cast of quirky -- but not stereotyped -- street characters.
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
Unfortunately, as a writer, Mr. Montias isn't nearly as good to his crew as he is as a director or actor.
Leslie Camhi, Village Voice
The minor figures surrounding [Bobby] ... form a gritty urban mosaic.
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
The movie rarely overcomes its terminal Scorsese- and Ferrara-isms, or fulfills the promise, evident in the film's early passages, that Montias might be a fine observer of local color with his own unique stories to tell.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
It's an awfully derivative story.
James Brundage, Filmcritic.com
A boisterous, exhilarating ride worth paying for.
Todd Deery, Orlando Weekly
The kind of movie that comes along only occasionally, one so unconventional, gutsy and perfectly executed it takes your breath away.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Cast

John-Luke Montias
as Bobby Grace
Susan Mitchell
as Lucy
Vincent Vega
as Coco

Norman Milton
as Popeet
Paul Maged
as Miie
Andrew Rien
as Andy

See full cast

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