The Big Swap is a 1998 British drama film written and directed by Niall Johnson. It discusses the exchanging sexual partners for one night between bunch of friends and how it affects their lives.

The Big Swap
Theatrical poster
Directed byNiall Johnson
Written byNial Johnson
Produced byNial Johnson
StarringMark Adams
Sorcha Brooks
Mark Caven
Alison Egan
Richard Cherry
Julie-Ann Gillitt
Anthony Edridge
Clark Hayes
Thierry Harcourt
Jackie Sawiris
Kevin Howarth
CinematographyGordon Hickie
Edited byDave Thrasher
Music byJason Flinter
Craig Johnson
Production
companies
Moonlit Pictures
Magic Box
Distributed byFilmFour
Release date
  • 12 June 1998 (1998-06-12)[1]
Running time
122 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£31,145 (UK)[2]

Plot

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A group of friends meet and plan to swap partners for one night. Every man brings his car key and they all throw it in a bunch of bowl and mix it up. Then the women picks up blindfolded one of the car keys and has to spend a night with whoever's owner of that car key. It's all fun and games at first, but after the party they all begin to regret their choices and the direction of their lives.

Cast

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  • Mark Adams as Sam
  • Sorcha Brooks as Ellen
  • Mark Caven as Michael
  • Alison Egan as Eve
  • Richard Cherry as Hal
  • Julie-Ann Gillitt as Liz
  • Anthony Edridge as Jack
  • Clark Hayes as Fi
  • Thierry Harcourt as Tony
  • Jackie Sawiris as Sydney
  • Kevin Howarth as Julian

Release

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The Big Swap was released 12 June 1998.[1]

Reception

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Brendan Kelly of Variety wrote, "Partner-swapping may be a catchy concept to start with, but The Big Swap simply isn't sexy enough, nor does it have enough post-coital emotional resonance to maintain interest over its two-hour running time."[3] Jessica Mellor of Empire rated it 2/5 stars and wrote, "Even with lots of shagging and some hilariously cringe-making moments, the climax ironically comes much too soon and leaves the viewer feeling frustrated rather than satisfied."[4] Total Film rated it 2/5 stars and wrote, "[T]his low-budget Brit flick fails to ignite, held back by rudimentary production values and bland characters."[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "The Big Swap". Total Film. 12 June 1998. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  2. ^ "British biz at the box office". Variety. 14 December 1998. p. 72.
  3. ^ Kelly, Brendan (13 October 1997). "Review: 'The Big Swap'". Variety. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  4. ^ Mellor, Jennifer. "The Big Swap". Empire. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
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