Review of Swimming with Sharks (1994) by Sk C — 25 Feb 2009

Four stars (refers to DVD version.) If either Gary Cole from "Office Space" or Sigourney Weaver in "Working Girl" is your idea of the ultimate Boss From Hell, think again. Big Shot Film Producer Buddy Ackerman (brilliantly played by a pre-"Usual Suspects" Kevin Spacey) is a boss so unreasonable, venal, and psychotic, he could eath both of them for breakfast, and still have room left over for Mr.

Spacely from "The Jetsons." Like nearly all "Hollywood Babylon"-type satires, this low-budget indie film from 1994 posits that neophytes in the film industry really have only two career paths: either death and destruction (a la Naomi Watts in "Mulholland Drive"), or morphing into the same brutal back-stabbing creeps they work with.

As Ackerman's sorely abused new personal assistant Guy, Frank Whaley ultimately chooses the latter course. This is well-trodden ground and the film in fact greatly resembles the better-known mainstream masterpiece, "The Player" by Robert Altman, in tone, mood and subject matter; admirably, it makes its point in less time and on a vastly lower budget.

See it mainly for two exceptionally brilliant acting turns: first, Spacey in an awesome performance, at times charming and silky and oh-so-handsome, then switching into full-on psycho mode at a split-second's notice.

Second, there's a priceless appearance by a young, pre-Oscar Benicio del Toro as Spacey's departing personal assistant, Rex, who dispenses hilarious advice to the newcomer on how to keep the boss happy.

Unfortunately he forgets to point out that Buddy never tolerates the substitution of Equal (blue packet) for Sweet 'N Low (pink packet) in his coffee, with tragic results for the young Whaley.