Swimming Upstream (2003)

61% of critics liked it
(38 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(2,532 ratings)

The true story of Tony Fingleton, a young man from a troubled family who found the inner strength to become a champion. Set in 1950s Brisbane, Australia, the family drama centers on Tony, a young man who beats the odds to become a champion swimmer in spite of his overbearing, alcoholic father and… More The true story of Tony Fingleton, a young man from a troubled family who found the inner strength to become a champion. Set in 1950s Brisbane, Australia, the family drama centers on Tony, a young man who beats the odds to become a champion swimmer in spite of his overbearing, alcoholic father and long-suffering, but quietly heroic mother. Overshadowed in his father's eyes by his brothers, it's only when Tony displays an extraordinary swimming talent that he feels he has a shot at wining his father's heart--and maybe even Olympic gold.

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Russell Mulcahy
Written By: Anthony Fingleton
Genres: Sports & Fitness, Drama

In Theaters: Jul 21, 2004 Wide
On DVD: May 31, 2005
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Rex Reed, New York Observer
The story isn't unusual or compelling enough to make a lasting impression.
Luke Sader, Hollywood Reporter
Good as Rush and Davis are as combative working-class parents Harold and Dora, their story line overpowers the drippy dramatics of their teen athlete son. It unwittingly feels like two separate movies.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
The grim material isn't helped by the hackneyed direction of Russell Mulcahy, a music-video veteran.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
Ends up merely treading water.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Their vivid, uncompromising performances redeem what could have been a clichéd coming-of-age story.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
While [the production notes] describe the story's Rocky-like outlines, they ignore the gripping, downbeat family drama at the movie's core.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
The glimpses we get of this profoundly dysfunctional and violence ridden family are just that, as if viewed vaguely from a nosy neighbor's window.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...routine and banal...
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Rush and Davis offer such strong performances and the script is so quietly compelling that we're soon pulled into the deep end of Tony's world.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
A moving drama that's ultimately worth seeing for the performances of Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis, even if you feel that you haven't quite heard the full story.
Joe Utichi, FilmFocus
It'll not be remembered for the ages, but it succeeds in avoiding biopic pitfalls that have succumbed some of the best, and that's good enough to make it worth a look.
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette
Geoffery Rush steals the show like he always does.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Leave it to Mulcahy to screw everything up with an overwrought, MTV-ready visual style that obscures any dramatic heft.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
...sticks closely to a formula that no longer holds many surprises, and leads to a message that isn't particularly novel or satisfying.
Diana Saenger, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
In addition to the pure drama of this story, it's the performances that make the film so compelling.
Tim Cogshell, Boxoffice Magazine
Basically, this is a fairly run-of-the-mill story of family dysfunction with a sports twist.
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly
Powerhouse Australian drama...a two-hour dip into the deep end of family life.
Todd Gilchrist, FilmStew.com
The audience develops a growing disconnect between the two stories of Tony the swimmer and Tony the son, lessening the impact of the overall film.
Todd Gilchrist, IGN Movies
Ultimately gets too caught up in its own current.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Alexander W

he story of a young man's struggle to gain his fathers love and approval. As the most sensitive and brightest boy of a very large family, Tony tries to please his macho father who appears to be unimpressed by his academic prowess and only accepts sporting triumph as sucess.… More
he story of a young man's struggle to gain his fathers love and approval. As the most sensitive and brightest boy of a very large family, Tony tries to please his macho father who appears to be unimpressed by his academic prowess and only accepts sporting triumph as sucess. Based-on-a-real-life film with stunning pool filming and good looking actors. Swimmers will understand the pull that the pool has on Tony as he copes with his difficult life. An inspiration to get back into serious swimming.
Luke T

Swimming Upstream. Beautifully acted, but filmed with restraint. When I say filmed with restraint, I'm referring to Swimming Upstream's underselling of itself. At times this is its weakness, while other times it's a strength. In the extremely dramatic scenes involving… More
Swimming Upstream. Beautifully acted, but filmed with restraint. When I say filmed with restraint, I'm referring to Swimming Upstream's underselling of itself. At times this is its weakness, while other times it's a strength. In the extremely dramatic scenes involving the family's troubles, the emotion is very raw and honest without being flashy and soap-opera-ish. While it was fun to see Jesse Spencer out of his role on House (for real, great performance), the obvious shining light was Geoffrey Rush (who won an Oscar for Shine, see what I did there?). I'm surprised he wasn't nominated for this, because he steals the show in every single scene. Even when you're supposed to be thinking about Spencer's emotional battle, you're putting every ounce of effort into reading Rush's subtle blank stare. They even threw in a couple of random impressively artsy cinametographical (not a word) tricks, like filming the kitchen fight from underneath through a glass floor... looked awesome. The split screen swim meets worked well also, a bit strange at times, but a good fit. Why 80%? Because the juxtaposition of the swimming storyline with the family turmoil was great, as well as the performances. A well-crafted movie for an inspiring story. Extra: An ode to Geoffrey Rush... Your disgusting jaw compelling so, The way you ramble to and fro. The nasty wrinkles of your cheek, I only imagine how you reek. Unkempt hair, skin not so fair, Your gangly arms are hard to bare. Yet still I watch on the edge of my seat, Cuz your performances can't be beat.