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Swept Away It's the new Madonna movie, and you know what that means. It's was so bad that I counted 3 microphones accidentally sneaking into the first 2 minutes of the film. I was willing to go see this movie with an open mind, but, with her track record, and obvious mistakes like that up front, you have the feeling it's going to stink. Heed your inner voice grasshopper. This one is very bad. Madonna stars as Amber - the rich, spoiled, ill-tempered wife of a pharmaceutical magnate, Anthony (Bruce Greenwood). They have joined 4 friends on a private cruise from Greece to Italy, and you would think that they would have a good time. However, Amber is a major shrew and she has decided to pick on one crew member, Guisseppe/Peppe (Adrianno Giannini). Nothing he does can please her and she is none too kind in expressing her dissatisfaction. Eventually, Peppe and Amber get separated from the group and shipwrecked on a deserted island. Now, Peppe has the upper hand. Is Amber about to get her comeuppance? Can these two sparring partners survive on their wits in the wild? Swept Away could have been an innocuous comedy with some social commentary, but director/writer Guy Ritchie fails to deliver. Instead, we are left with a mean spirited film that becomes an overly dramatic mess. Ritchie fails to establish a consistent tone to the film, making a huge, 180 degree turn from comedy to drama about an hour into the film. It's too much too quickly. Instead of slowly building to it, Ritchie flings it out there, and lost me. Madonna doesn't help matters. She's very stiff in this film and looks generally uncomfortable playing the villain. The lines are there, but she doesn't give them with any kind of conviction. Giannini is fine as Peppe (playing the same role his father played in the original version of the film), and might be the only person to walk away from this film with his head held high. He shines in comedy and drama, but can't save the film on his own. The characters are too narrowly drawn and don't show us much reason to care about them. More complexity would have helped. Most importantly, Swept Away lacks heart. It's mean. When Peppe and Amber are stranded on the island, Ritchie should be using this opportunity to entertain the audience that wants to see Amber get put in her place. However, Peppe's revenge is mean and offensive. If I was Amber, I would gone "Burning Bed" on this guy and set him on fire, but the audience is supposed to believe that this is not the natural reaction. Swept Away will not take you to a place and time that you will cherish forever. Instead, it should be avoided forever. Grade: D Copyright 2002 - WaffleMovies.com
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