Madonna Movie:

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		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Madonna gives her most believable performance as Amber, a rich woman on a sea cruise who expects the world to obey her every whim. She and a high-spirited crew member (Adriano Giannini) are marooned on a small deserted island; the feud that sprang up between the two on the ship becomes an all-out war, then transforms into lustful desire as Amber finds that losing status opens up a new side to herself. Some people will want to see Swept Away for the simple pleasure of seeing Madonna be slapped; more demanding filmgoers will, sadly, be left wanting. Though the movie purports to be a satirical examination of capitalism (as was the original 1974 version), its vague discussion of money and power adds up to very little. The love story is surprisingly sincere, making Swept Away a standard romantic potboiler with gorgeous tropical backdrops. --Bret Fetzer

Swept Away [Region 2] Reviews:
Actually quite good
2009-09-18 - Being a long time Madonna fan I may be as biased as the next one, however, when this movie came out I had heard so much negative buzz about it that I was really worried that it was going to be an embarrassment. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I finally saw it, and even if I was not the Madonna fan that I am, I believe I would still enjoy it nonetheless. There are some parts which are better than others, but that's true for any film. I especially love the scene where you can fully see the change in Madonna's character after catching her own octopus. There is very little dialogue but you can tell that her character is about to bust from pride and excitement and Madonna is completely convincing. Other moments which shine are the "Come-On-A-My-House" dream scene and the utterly heartbreaking ending, which I would never change. I think the film is great. Unfortunately, Madonna's acting is always going to be criticized because her audience can't ever seem to get past the fact that they're watching Madonna in a film. My point is: when Renee Zellweger plays Bridgette Jones, you watch and think of her as Bridgette Jones, but if Madonna plays anyone or anything, she remains Madonna and not the character she's trying to portray... and though that may be her fault as much as the viewers, I think it's unfair to rule her out as a bad actress when she's not as bad as the critics make her out to be.

Fun and entertaining, but also thought-provoking and moving
2009-02-25 - "Swept Away" is a 2002 remake of the 1974 Italian film starring Madonna and directed/written by Madonna's (then) husband Guy Ritchie.

THE STORY: A group of rich Americans venture on a private cruise from Greece to Italy wherein a spoiled middle-aged woman, Amber (Madonna), mentally abuses the crew, in particularly the first mate Pepe (Adriano Giannini) whom she constantly refers to as Pee Pee. The crew puts up with her pompous antics because she's the paying customer, but a change of events ultimately strands Amber and Pepe on a deserted Island which puts Pepe in a position of control. He uses the dire situation to break the spoiled witch-with-a-capital-B. Amber begins to see life through a new lens and experiences true happiness for the first time in her life.

For the record, I'm not a follower of Madonna; I neither love nor hate her. In fact, I almost didn't watch this film because she starred in it, but I gave in because I love survival-on-deserted-island stories. I'd also like to point out that I've never seen the original '74 film, so I have no nostalgic bias.

It should be noted that "Swept Away" failed at the box office in 2002 (mainly because it was barely released to theaters in the U.S. and critics condemned it before it was even completed) and subsequently swept (away) the Razzies as the worst picture. Naturally a sort of band wagon effect has developed with everyone jumping into the negative feeding frenzy.

Is it really THAT bad? No. Not even close. "Swept Away" starts as a fun, entertaining farce and morphs into a potent social commentary and moving love story. The movie will make you laugh, make you angry, make you cry and ultimately move you -- no kidding. But it will only have this effect IF you give it a chance and refuse to listen to the drivel of the cookie-cutter critics.

As for Madonna, she's no Meryl Streep but she successfully makes you despise Amber in Act 1 and feel for her later on. She made me believe Amber was a real person. What more do you want?

I'm not an anti-capitalist but the film effectively points out the flaws of this system. It also effectively reveals how money/materialism can't of itself give true happiness, love or fulfillment. Amber had everything but was the most unhappy, loathsome person you'd likely ever meet.

One reviewer referred to the film as a "wife beater's fantasy" but failed to point out that it could just as easily be called a "Man torturer's fantasy" or "Man emasculater's fantasy." Let's be evenhanded with our appraisals.

I admit the physical abuse of Amber on the island (slapping, kicking and especially the faux-rape) is disturbing and almost tempted me to tune out, but then I saw what the filmmakers were shooting for (the filmmakers being Madonna and her husband).

In our society we've been misled to believe that mental abuse is less abusive because it's not physical. This film potently shows that mental abuse can be just as bad, if not worse. During the first half hour Amber horribly torments and emasculates Pepe (and others) because she's a spoiled brat and in control. When the tables are turned and she loses control on the island Pepe utilizes extreme measures to de-spoil Amber. In other words, Pepe realized that Amber was so far gone -- so utterly spoiled -- that she literally needed slapped back to reality. This is in line with a biblical proverb that goes "Blows and wounds cleanse away evil and beatings purge the inmost being." Let's face it, some people are so far gone (i.e. spoiled) that they literally need the snot beat out of them -- that's the only thing that's going to wake 'em up to reality. Apparently Pepe realized this on the island and acted accordingly. Do I think he goes too far? Yes, but -- then again -- I wasn't the one mentally tormented for days on the boat trip and totally emasculated in front of others. Regardless, the story shows that his methods worked -- Amber was humiliated to the point of seeing life from a totally different perspective, a much-needed new perspective. Pepe's discipline ultimately brings out spiritual character in Amber to the point where she refuses to call on passing boats to save her from her exile (two truly moving scenes, by the way). Why? Because she's been delivered from the bondage of selfishness, arrogance and materialism; she's experienced true love, fulfillment, team-work, companionship and independence (remember, she DOES learn how to hunt for herself) for the first time in her life. It becomes more precious than gold to her and she doesn't want to let it go.

Again, I personally think Pepe goes too far with the physical abuse (in fact, I don't believe in physical ABUSE at all); he should've stopped with a couple of slaps, at most, but the filmmmakers are (evidently) saying she was so far gone that extreme measures were necessary. Besides, didn't she make her own bed, so to speak? Let her lie in it.

The fact that Madonna -- one of the most successful women in history and the original "material girl" -- utilized this film to make this point speaks volumes. Is it a sign of weakness? No, it's a sign of enlightenment and spiritual strength.

BOTTOM LINE: "Swept Away" is much better than similar flicks like 1998's "Six Days, Seven Nights" with Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. Why? Because, not only is it fun and entertaining, it's also thought-provoking and moving. Really, what more do you want from a stranded-on-a-deserted-island romantic-comedy? Needless to say, those who go ridiculously overboard with the negative criticism need to get real.

The film runs a short-but-sweet 89 minutes and was filmed in Sardinia and Malta.

The dvd features a 20-minute making-of piece with Madonna and Guy Ritchie interviewing each other. It's an entertaining, informative and revealing piece; Madonna seems like a really fun girl. The dvd also features 16 deleted scenes.

PERSONAL GRADE: A- or B+

Why did these two ever get divorced?
2009-01-13 - A better question would be why didn't Madonna and Guy Ritchie ever make another movie together since this one worked so well for the both of them? The film is pretty dreadful and has very little to recommend. However there are a few scenes that are funny and genuinely romantic. The highlight of the film besides Madonna in a tight two piece black bikini is a great performance from Elizabeth Banks. Banks plays the ultimate dumb blonde who is the younger girlfriend of one of the men on board. She is mocked mercilessly but is too stupid to catch on. What is interesting is the possible commentary that Guy Ritchie was making about his marriage. The divorce details that were all over the gossip pages months ago show up here on screen. Madonna (in the movie at least) is extremely shrill, commanding, demanding, and obsessed with working out. What is more interesting is why Ritchie, coming off of the success of Snatch, would make this film which has haunted his career ever since. Why would he cast his wife in the lead and make her a very unsympathetic and grating character? The film boils down to this: a bunch of rich snobs rent a boat to sail from island to island on a Mediterranean vacation. The ship is run by mostly Italian sailors. The richies above make fun of the staff's broken English and comment on how dirty they are. Madonna's character is the worst of them all as she singles out one man in particular . His name is PePe but she calls him Pee Pee just to annoy him. He takes as much of this as he can. There is a hilarious scene where he dreams of getting his revenge by pouring the food that she finds disgusting all over her and then throwing her off the ship. He then attacks the husband who sits idly by and doesn't say a word. One day while half the party goes to explore some islands Madonna and PePe go off in a separate boat to meet up with them. As it gets later in the day and they get farther away from the ship the engine goes out on them and leaves them stranded . She freaks out but he is amused. He is confident that by morning they will be rescued.They end up landing on a deserted island where they wait for months for a ship to spot them and rescue them. While on the island PePe turns the tables and makes Madonna his slave. He roughs her up when he starts slapping and kicking her.He demands that she start calling him Master. He makes her responsible for supplying her own food and shelter. She also must do his laundry and prepare his meals. In the middle of this extreme role reversal the two fall for each other. It is interesting to watch as Richie shows his wife being dominated and put in her place by a man. Was he wishing he could do the same in real life? While on the island she opens up to PePe and offers an explanation for why she is unhappy. She explains that she's bored with her life. She tells him that this is the first time she has been happy in a long time is being here with him. PePe wonders if she will feel the same way when they are inevitably rescued and brought back to civilization. As mentioned some of these scenes, complemented by the beautiful island backdrop, are very romantic and tender which makes the ending kind of bittersweet. Ritchie even throws in an exciting dance number showcasing his wife's "talents". It is an interesting film with some good moments but there is also a lot of unfunny jokes and annoying Madonna moments to wade through between the very limited good parts.

See the original instead
2008-12-08 - Being someone who came of age in the mid-80s, Madonna was a big deal to me and I loved her music (still do ... most of it). Her movies, not so much, except for Desperately Seeking Susan. But I'd seen the original movie Swept Away was based on (Lina Wertmuller: check her work out), and was intrigued enough to see another Madonna movie. But this was plain terrible. It's not a faithful remake (with a different ending, more soap opera-ish), and it's overall just bad. Madonna just can't act her way out of her persona; it's too strong. Everyone else is pretty much so-so in this, but I'd leave it up in the air as to whether to blame the director, the rewrite he did, or the acting. It's pretty cartoony and ham-fisted stuff, though. But back to the remake: They don't have to be faithful to the letter, but the original (same name, but with a long subtitle) had so much punch and passion. The rich wife that gets swept away with the socialist sailor and their bickering is hot, intense, fun to watch. It's a great movie in itself, and it has depth with the class issues and smoldering sexuality beneath that bubbles up as these two are stranded. Plus it's tantalizing to watch the power struggle between the leads (in the original, again) as power shifts back and forth. This new version is just awful. No tension, no cleverness, no wit, no insights; just an aggravating 90 minutes.

swept away
2008-05-07 - this is the best romantic movie i ever seen who ever thinks its terrible is a dumbass...and they dont really understand the movie...this is the type of thing that happens in reality and the last seen is the most beautiful when he throws the ring and it falls into the water...just the way two people needes each other when they were on the island and it wasnt because of the food but just they were lonely...