An irksome but watchable movie. The story is not a story that will resonate with traditional married couples. Palm Swings orbits around the premise that marital relationships can be enhanced or strengthened by mutually sanctioned infidelities. This is the default premise of the movie that is never (really) challenged. The drama in Palm Swings does not stem from the act of swapping partners but from one partner concealing the continuance of a previously sanctioned hookup. The character Allison has no character. She peeks in windows, is accommodating to sexual advances from pretty much anyone, lies, cheats and deceives. Allison's husband Mark is a college professor who has little or no relationship situational awareness. Though his reaction after Allison's unsanctioned infidelities is spot-on ... essentially how any reasonably intelligent spouse would react to cheating, his behavior at the onset of swapping and in accepting Allison back after the affair is baffling. Initially Mark sets the stage for trouble when he doesn't establish swapping ground rules and boundaries with Allison (assuming that realistic ground rules and boundaries can be established for blowing up your marriage). In the final scene Allison tells Mark she's sorry for not telling him about the affair along with a soliloquy of love and fidelity-based declarations. Mark reservedly accepts Allison back but is seeming oblivious to the fact that she did not say she was sorry for having an affair.
Review of Palm Swings
