A bit obscure.
John Cheever's short story, and Burt Lancaster movie (1968) THE SWIMMER. Ned Merrill crisscrosses the Connecticut exurbs from one back yard to another, one pool to another, in a day that grows increasingly disjointed or awkward and surreal. Finally he reaches his own house, which is abandoned and overgrown, with no sign of the perfect wife and daughters he'd chatted about all afternoon. The theme is: all is not right in suburbia, as in Death of a Salesman and The Ice Storm.
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Chat GPT updates.
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Title: The Pickler
Genre: Drama, Dark Comedy
Logline:
A once-celebrated corporate executive embarks on a peculiar journey across suburban pickleball courts, determined to play his way home and rediscover the life he thought he had, only to confront the harsh realities of the life he’s truly led.
Plot Summary:
Act 1: The Awakening
Protagonist: Jack Wilson, a charismatic, middle-aged corporate executive who was once the life of every party and a dominant force in the business world. Jack has recently taken up pickleball, a popular pastime in his affluent suburban neighborhood. On a warm Saturday morning, Jack arrives at a local court, greeted by old friends and neighbors, who have seen less and less of him over the years. Jack, sun-kissed and brimming with confidence, feels invincible. In the middle of a game, he suddenly has a bizarre yet exhilarating idea: he will "pickler" his way home, playing a match at every court in the neighborhood, as if he were swimming from pool to pool. This will be his triumphant journey home.
Act 2: The Journey
Jack's journey begins with a spring in his step as he moves from one pickleball court to the next, encountering various people from his past. Each court is a symbolic checkpoint in his life. At the first few courts, Jack relives his glory days, where his dominance on the court reflects his past success. His swagger is met with admiration, but also with a subtle, growing unease as he starts noticing how things have changed.
At one court, he meets Jenny, a former lover who has moved on, now indifferent to Jack’s charm. She subtly mocks his delusion, mentioning his wife and children, which Jack brushes off with a forced laugh. At another court, he plays with Sam, an old colleague who subtly implies that Jack's business ventures have gone under. The atmosphere becomes more tense as Sam brings up Jack's absence from recent social events and hints at financial troubles. Each game becomes more challenging, not just physically but emotionally, as the people he meets reflect back aspects of his life he's tried to ignore.
Act 3: The Unraveling
As Jack progresses, he encounters former friends who have turned cold, a partner who reminds him of a forgotten betrayal, and a stranger who remembers Jack's darker side. His confident facade starts to crack as the games become increasingly difficult. His once-pristine tennis whites become sweat-soaked and tattered, his movements slower, and his charm less effective.
At the penultimate court, he meets Molly, his estranged daughter, who coldly informs him that she’s moved on and no longer needs him in her life. The final game is brutal, with Jack barely able to keep up, symbolizing his struggle against the reality he’s been avoiding.
Climax:
Exhausted, dehydrated, and disoriented, Jack finally reaches his own backyard court, expecting a warm welcome. Instead, he finds the court overgrown, the net sagging, and his wife, Susan, watching from a distance, a look of pity and sorrow on her face. She reveals that she’s already moved out and taken the children with her. The house is up for sale, and this final match has cost Jack everything he thought he had left.
Resolution:
Jack, broken and alone, stares at his dilapidated court, realizing that his journey was not a triumphant return but a painful confrontation with the truth. The camera pulls back, showing him as a tiny figure in a vast, empty landscape, the pickleball echoes fading into silence as he finally accepts his reality.
Themes:
- The illusion of success and the reality of loss
- The passage of time and its impact on relationships
- The dangers of living in the past and ignoring the present
- The emptiness of superficial achievements
Visual Style:
The film would capture the sunny, seemingly perfect suburban setting with an undercurrent of unease, using bright, overexposed lighting that gradually dims as Jack's journey progresses. The pickleball courts, initially vibrant and full of life, become more desolate and worn down, reflecting Jack's inner turmoil.
Tone:
A mix of dark comedy and poignant drama, with moments of surrealism that echo the protagonist's increasingly fragile grip on reality. The film would balance the absurdity of Jack’s quest with the emotional weight of his unraveling life, creating a modern parable about the dangers of living in denial.
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Critic's Corner - Who Was Ned?
Ned Merrill, the protagonist of John Cheever's short story "The Swimmer," is a complex character whose true state of mind and circumstances are left ambiguous, inviting various interpretations. The story subtly suggests that Ned may be experiencing a combination of insanity, delusion, and financial ruin, but it never definitively confirms any single explanation.
Insanity/Delusion:
Throughout "The Swimmer," there are numerous indications that Ned is not fully in touch with reality. His plan to swim home through the pools of his neighbors, treating it as a grand, adventurous quest, is a fantastical idea that seems disconnected from the practicalities of everyday life. As the story progresses, the landscape changes in ways that seem surreal—summer turns into autumn, and time itself appears to warp. Ned's encounters with neighbors, who react to him with varying degrees of surprise, pity, or anger, further suggest that his perception of reality is deeply flawed.
The increasing difficulty he faces, both physically and emotionally, hints at a deeper psychological unraveling. By the end, when he arrives at his own home to find it abandoned and decrepit, it becomes clear that Ned's journey has been more symbolic than literal, possibly a manifestation of his mental breakdown.
Bankruptcy/Financial Ruin:
There are also strong hints that Ned has suffered financial and social decline. Throughout the story, there are references to his past successes and status within the community, but these are contrasted with comments from others that suggest things have changed. Some neighbors refer to financial troubles, lost opportunities, or estranged relationships, all of which imply that Ned's life is not as stable or prosperous as he believes. His inability to recall certain events or acknowledge his own fall from grace could be a defense mechanism to protect himself from the painful reality of his situation.
Combination of Both:
Most interpretations suggest that Ned's state is a combination of insanity and financial ruin. His delusional behavior might be a coping mechanism in response to a traumatic downfall—perhaps he lost his wealth, status, and family, and his mind responded by constructing an alternate reality where none of that is true. The act of "swimming" through the pools becomes a metaphor for navigating the stages of his own decline, with each pool representing a step closer to the truth he refuses to face.
Conclusion:
Cheever's story deliberately leaves Ned's exact circumstances ambiguous, creating a sense of unease and mystery. The reader is left to interpret whether Ned's journey is primarily a psychological unraveling, a symbolic representation of his financial collapse, or a tragic blend of both. This ambiguity is part of what makes "The Swimmer" such a compelling and enduring work of literature—it resists easy explanations and invites readers to explore the complexities of the human condition.
