kristinleea I found this a reasonably enjoyable, engaging movie although there were definitely cringe worthy moments - particularly during the frequent scenes of verbal and physical abuse metered out by the two main characters. The acting wasn't as awful as other reviews had led me to believe - and Madonna looked like she'd lived at the gym for a year before this was filmed. Unfortunately Madonna's character was so unlikeable in the early scenes, the turnaround on the island was just too short to be truly believable. Her character also alluded to a depth that frustratingly wasn't explained further - with comments like "you don't know what I've done..." , and while you want to like the Hero - it's difficult when the abuse scenes are taken too far. For a marketed Rom/com it had a massive downer of an ending. This would have to be a big part of why it died so convincingly at the box office! The rest of the film wasn't presented in a way that encouraged deep thinking - then suddenly there was a miserable ending that was designed to do just that to get more from the film - it just didn't work! The Island scenes were lovely though.....

SnoopyStyle Amber (Madonna) is the spoiled wife to rich Tony (Bruce Greenwood). She hates the small private yacht that they are taking from Greece to Italy. They are on the trip with friends dumb blonde Debi (Elizabeth Banks), Todd (Michael Beattie), Marina (Jeanne Tripplehorn), and Michael (David Thornton). Crew member Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini) can't stand the constant complaints from Amber. Amber is left behind on the yacht and she forces Giuseppe to take her to the group outing. Their dingy breaks down and they're stranded on a deserted island. Giuseppe has had enough and starts bullying her around.Madonna is only part of the problem. She's not good enough of an actress. The character is written like a dumb blonde and Banks is infinitely better at playing that part. It's early in her career so it's impossible for her to be the lead. If not her, then Tipplehorn would have been fine. However Madonna isn't even the biggest problem. The character Giuseppe is even worst. There is nothing likable about either of these characters. He is abusive in a serious physical way. It is misogynistic which could work back in 1974. I don't understand what Guy Ritchie saw as funny in today's world. This is like a rapist's wet dream where 'No!' means 'Soon'. As I watched this, I wonder if somebody could make a horror movie from the same Guy Ritchie script. I don't think much of it has to be changed at all.

Wuchak It's fun and entertaining, but also thought-provoking and moving."Swept Away" is a 2002 remake of the 1974 Italian film starring Madonna and directed/written by Madonna's (then) husband Guy Ritchie.THE PLOT: A group of rich Americans take a private cruise from Greece to Italy where 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 PeePee. The crew puts up with her pompous antics because she's the paying customer, but everything changes when Amber and Pepe are stranded on a deserted Island, putting Pepe in a position of control.For the record, I'm not a follower of Madonna; I neither love her nor hate her. In fact, I almost didn't watch this film because she starred in it, but I gave-in because I'm a sucker for survival-on-deserted-island flicks. I'd also like to point out that I've never seen the original '74 film, so I have no nostalgic bias."Swept Away" failed at the box office in 2002, but only because it was barely released to theaters and critics condemned it before it was even completed. It subsequently swept (away) the Razzies as the worst picture and a bandwagon effect 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, finally, a 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 refuse to listen to the drivel of the cookie-cutter critics and give it a chance.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 effectively shows that mental abuse can be just as bad, if not worse.***SPOILER ALERT*** 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 "Blows and wounds cleanse away evil and beatings purge the inmost being." Let's face it, some people are so far gone (that is, 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 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 moving scenes, by the way). Why? Because she's been delivered from the bondage of selfishness, arrogance and materialism; she has experienced true love, fulfillment, team-work, companionship and independence (remember, she DOES learn how to fish 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 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.***END SPOILER*** 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 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. The DVD also features 16 deleted scenes.GRADE: A- or B+

Jackson Booth-Millard From Madonna's then husband Razzie winning director Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, Sherlock Holmes), I had heard negative things about this film, mostly about the leading actress, so I was dying to see how bad it was, or whether I may disagree with the reviews. Basically Amber Leighton (Razzie winning - and nominated - Madonna) is the beautiful forty year old rich, spoilt and arrogant socialite, she is married to Tony (Eight Below's Bruce Greenwood) but nothing makes her happy. Her husband has taken her on a private cruise from Greece to Italy with two other couples, including with friends Marina (Basic Instinct's Jeanne Tripplehorn) and Debi (Meet Dave's Elizabeth Banks) and their other halves. She gets angry at all the slightest things on the ship, such as the food being served, and she seems to take all her anger out on first mate Giuseppe Esposito (Razzie nominated Adriano Giannini), and he is trying really hard to deal with it. When a storm forces Amber into a lifeboat, alongside Giuseppe, both of them wind up stranded in the middle of the ocean, and eventually swept away shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. Giuseppe sees this as an opportunity to get his own back on the woman who has been bossing him around and making him really stressed, he forces her to become his slave and do washing, cleaning and fetching to earn caught food and water to drink. He is for a while very forceful and unforgiving towards Amber, but slowly as they spend more time waiting for help together they are developing feelings for each other, to the point when they have fallen in love. There is a point when one or the other think that going back to their lives on land is a mistake and it will tear them apart, but eventually this does have to happen for the sake of their survival. In the end they are indeed rescued by a ship, and Amber is forced to go back to her not very happy husband, while Giuseppe is heartbroken with his unsuccessful plan to propose to her. Also starring David Thornton as Michael, Michael Beattie as Todd, Yorgo Voyagis as Captain and George Antoni, Mr. Quereshi from Harry Hill's TV Burp as Chef. Many people will say that the only good acting Madonna has done is in Desperately Seeking Susan and Evita, and all say this is among the worst of her attempts, I didn't think she was completely awful, I thought in fact her character suited her, i.e. bitchy and self centred (like she can be), I agree with the critics Giannini does well getting his own back on her as the "master", but most of the other cast members, including reliable Tripplehorn and Greenwood hardly do much at all. The story I will agree is not all that original, it only came two years after Tom Hanks was Cast Away, so it is essentially the same sort of film, but with two people, no plane crash, and a hut on the island LOL, but there was a part of me that liked what was going on, I can see some of the reasoning for low ratings, but I didn't think it was an awful romantic comedy drama. It won the Razzie for Worst Picture, Worst Remake or Sequel, Worst Screen Couple for Giannini and Madonna, and it was nominated for Worst Screenplay, Worst 'Drama' of Our First 25 Years and Worst Picture of the Decade. Adequate!