I love everything about this film. Dempsey's Pub is a special place - sadly closed down. The Hudson River and valley are special as well. The movie portrays them all understatedly and beautifully along with sorrow, loss, grieving, the sad truth of getting less mature the older you get, juvenile friendship, fun low key adventure and tons of great scenery. It was hard to find for a while but is currently on Showtime Anywhere.

This was one of the worst films I've ever seen. Joseph Fiennes must have studied old James Dean movies before making this one, because all he ever did was look constipated, while wearing a perpetual frown on his face. Apparently, writer/director Peter Callahan must not be a believer in continuity or research. The "Big Swim" of the Hudson River is supposed to start just below Troy and end up at the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge, but guess what? The scenes move down the river, up the river, down the river, up the river, without the slightest attention to the proposed progression of the swim. At one point, when Fiennes character, Paul, has announced that he expects to finish the following day, the three-person party is approached by a sheriff's boat with two officers in it from Albany, who tell them that they've got 90 more miles to go to reach the bridge. My wife and I laughed aloud at the stupidity. Mary Tyler Moore must be desperate for work to have taken the idiotic role of the judgmental mother of Elizabeth Reaser's character. In one scene, Ms. Moore "pretends" to be driving a car while holding a drink, and never once looks at the road, as she spews venomous remarks about her various neighbors. The only bright spot for us was the performance of Justin Kirk as Jeff, a bartender turned swimming coach. Despite the pathetic script, he still maintained a level of professionalism and delivered his lines with conviction. Okay the music was decent, too. So, there you have it: a ridiculous plot, amateurish script, even more amateurish directing and editing, for a complete waste of time.

Very moving. Everything about this movie worked for me. Top-notch acting. Great dialogue. Fantastic cinematography. I don't get all the wannabe critics, ready to call out directors, using terms like "heavy handed," "pretentious," etc. This was a compelling story, and any departures from the main story were there to add humanity. Everyone involved should be very proud. They made a movie that was different, and worth our time. (mine, anyway) The ending left no doubt in my mind what happened. I didn't find any ambiguity whatsoever. I felt it was moving, and insightful. I think people need to open up to those films that are a little different. This is one such film.

I had the chance to see this at AFI festival in Dallas. The movie is beautifully shot, and some of the scenes along the Hudson are gorgeous. The story line is intriguing, and unfolds as the swimmer makes his way through the challenge of swimming the Hudson. As the first reviewer said, he has a tragic story that compels him to take on this feat. I won't divulge the details, but as his story comes out, it makes you think hard about some of life's issues. Definitely worth seeing.The dialog is also well-written. Although this is not a comedy, the dialog is often quite funny. Fiennes may have gorgeous eyes, but I thought Justin Kirk's character really stood out in the film.