Movie #115- "Swimming with Sharks" (1994)

Have you seen "Horrible Bosses"?  Kevin Spacey plays one of the title characters, a terrible individual who metaphorically dangles Jason Bateman's feet over the fire, making his work life a miserable experience.  While Spacey is evil as Dave Harkin in that role, he is just scratching the surface in comparison to Buddy Ackerman, the horrible boss he plays in "Swimming with Sharks".  Buddy is the kind of guy that would gleefully put Dave through hell before breakfast, then do it again during lunch because it amused him, even if it was briefly.
Enter into Buddy's world Guy, his latest assistant.  Guy has ambition.  Guy has a dream.  Unfortunately Guy also lacks backbone, providing Buddy the perfect target for his seething wrath.  "Swimming With Sharks" opens with Guy holding Buddy hostage and in flashbacks, we see how the events unfold, starting with Guy's first day on the job.
Not only is this a workplace comedy (a dark one at that), it also sharply skewers Hollywood along the way. Buddy is tolerated since he is successful, which breeds success to those who work for him.  The film has fun with the dog-eat-dog world that is the film industry, but it also questions the distance one would go in order to chase their dreams.  Guy begins as a mild-mannered individual with artistic integrity, yet is changed into a ball of rage, torturing his boss due to his foul treatment.
Frank Whaley is nicely cast as Guy, but "Swimming with Sharks" belongs to Spacey.  His yelling, screaming, insult spewing Buddy is the reason to watch, as the character holds your attention.  Even the softer moments don't make you empathize with the insanity that is Buddy.  And the ending is one of debate due to a twist and a shift in character.
Spacey is a joy to watch in "Swimming with Sharks", although you spent the whole movie hating him.
 
Rating: 8/10
Movies I've previously seen: 6
First time viewings: 109