Swingers
Miramax Films | Release Date: October 18, 1996 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The beauty of Swingers lies in the irony of its title: Despite their lounge-lizard posing, these guys will never really live up to their Rat Pack dreams.
88
San Francisco ExaminerJane Ganahl
Like a Les Brown tune, a really dry martini and a hug from a good buddy, Swingers makes you feel warm all over, baby. Read full review
81
Mr. ShowbizF. X. Feeney
Has such perfect pitch in small matters that, as it builds, it proves no less capable in tackling bigger issues--and what begin as chuckles become deep belly laughs. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Engaging, refreshingly human in its humor and becomingly modest in its aspirations, this hip look at being out of it announces some promising new talent and will play well with young audiences looking for comfortable entertainment that doesn't feel manufactured. Read full review
80
TNT RoughCutTom Park
Hilarious.
80
The A.V. ClubStephen Thompson
Swingers has something genuinely rare: a fine script and realistic characters. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Confident of its emotional effects, Swingers knows how to breathe life into its people, and hooking audiences is its reward. Read full review
80
NewsweekAndrea C. Basora
Director Doug Liman has an impressive eye for detail and an even better ear for dialogue, producing a perceptive and delightfully funny take on the buddy movie. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Corliss
Despite some rough edges and language, this is at heart a beguiling fantasy of comradeship. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Suspicious and hilariously self-absorbed, Favreau's every bit as comfortable in California as Charles Grodin's "Heartbreak Kid" was in Miami. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleAlison Macor
Actor-screenwriter Favreau and director Liman demonstrate with Swingers that they're definitely "money." Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
It's no masterpiece, but it's real. Read full review
75
USA TodayAndy Seiler
Uneven, amateurish and borderline misogynistic. But it's also very funny, and it never loses its cool. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is sweet, funny, observant and goofy with a small ``g,'' which means you don't get paid, but at least you don't have to wear the suit. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Doesn't really add up to much -- except a good time. But it's smart, funny and cute. With all that going for you, who needs to be money? [25 October 1996, Friday, p.H]
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It's a "First Wives Club" for single guys, giving voice to a whole range of authentic, if not always responsible, attitudes and emotions. Read full review
70
Film.comRobert Horton
For the most part, a delight.
70
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
What counts here aren't the girls, but the boys--and all the sweet and clumsy ways in which they make love to one another without once shedding their clothes. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Movies about the trajectory from outsider to insider in LA social and professional circles--the two always seem inextricably linked--are a dime a dozen, but this one is fresh, thanks to a script by lead actor Jon Favreau that lets us know Mike knows he resembles a character in a movie even if he doesn't know he is one. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Enjoyable in a shallow way, but there's nothing so special here that it warrants more than a cursory glance. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineFrank Lovece
The genial humor is occasionally marred by an overall sexist tone and some downright nasty homophobic and racist attempts at humor. Read full review
50
Film.comJohn Hartl
It's a very movie-conscious movie, and that aspect of it palls.
50
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
There're some low New York laughs in Swingers and some nice clothes if you like bad taste, but on the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia. At least they know how to make a sandwich in that town! Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverJimmy Fowler
Film critics are put in a difficult position when they see a movie that's well-made but features characters so unbelievably odious you wouldn't want to spend two minutes with them in real life. Read full review
40
Film.comTom Keogh
This is a pretty leaden cinematic experience.
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