Swingers

"Cocktails first. Questions later."

1996 1h 36m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 839

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After 6 years together, Mike's girlfriend leaves him, so he travels to LA to be a star. Six months on, he's still not doing very well— so a few of his friends try to reconnect him to the social scene and hopefully help him forget his failed relationship.

“Cocktails first. Questions later.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Paramount Plus EssentialSubscription

JustWatch TVRent

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Jon Favreau
Mike Peters
Vince Vaughn
Trent Walker
Ron Livingston
Rob
Patrick Van Horn
Sue
Alex Désert
Charles
Heather Graham
Lorraine
Deena Martin
Christy
Katherine Kendall
Lisa

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Doug Liman
Writers: Jon Favreau
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $5M — a 22.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Doug Liman, shot by Doug Liman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Justin Reinhardt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stephen Mirrione shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Cocktails first. Questions later.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Doug Liman directs. Doug Liman behind the camera. Justin Reinhardt scores. Stephen Mirrione cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $5M — a 22.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
330 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Doug Liman, shot by Doug Liman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Justin Reinhardt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Stephen Mirrione shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingston carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Cocktails first. Questions later.".
9IMDB entry: tt0117802 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Doug Liman
Original score: Justin Reinhardt
Editing: Stephen Mirrione
Production design: Brad Halvorson
Costume design: Genevieve Tyrrell
Sound: Larry Benjamin
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $200,000
Box office: $4,505,922
Return: 2253% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Swingers (1996)

Also by

Doug Liman

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Filipe Manuel Neto2024-04-09
★ 6/10
A film about characters and dialogue, made by men and for (some) men. Watching films with a lot of dialogue allows us, sometimes, to find some very good works in terms of the construction of lines and development of characters. In these films, these elements become the essence that justifies their existence. And we can think of several examples, such as “Before Sunrise”. This film isn't bad either, but it targets a niche audience that I don't find myself in: single men, somewhat bitter and dissatisfied, misogynists and womanizers. I am single, and I feel peacefully satisfied, without a hint of misogyny and never closing doors to love, but also without any despair. And in fact, I haven't set foot in a bar since my college days. As you can see, I'm not the kind of man who could identify with these characters. The plot revolves around three friends, aspiring actors, who seek to make it in challenging Los Angeles. One of them is depressed due to the end of a long-term relationship, and the other two friends decide to take him to bars, to drink and flirt as much as possible. From drink to drink, from one flirtation to another, the conversation between the various characters reveal a lot about themselves, and the way they see the world. It's not a narrative film, it doesn't have a very solid story, but it has good characters and an excellent collection of dialogues. Directed by Doug Liman, the film has simple, but effective and credible cinematography, sets and costumes. Being an independent film, made outside the multimillion-dollar studios, the production had several budget problems that forced practical and functional choices. This may have been positive, allowing for greater verisimilitude and the choice of realistic locations and situations. Being a film so focused on the male mentality, and a world of bars and flirting, it is likely that the female audience would prefer to see something else. Screenwriter and actor John Favreau plays the main character, supported by two longtime friends, Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingstone. Each of them does a good job and explores their character very well, expressing a lot of themselves, which turns these characters into “alter egos” of the actors who play them. This is unusual in cinema, but not unheard of. The film also features the participation of other actors and friends of those involved, in smaller and less well-crafted characters.

Production companies