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Alas, there's not much that's actually funny in Les Wilson's 75-minute indie, which substitutes raunchy dialogue for insight into an ongoing and nagging social issue. Sarah (Stephanie Denise Griffin) and Beethoven(!) (Payne) are best buds, then business partners, then lovers. Society disapproves. Audience disapproves -- not because of any taboo, but because we ain't laughing.
Saddled with the usual trappings of wandering romantic comedies (inter-scene title cards, wacky best friends, an estrangement, a reconciliation), Swirl aspires to more than its low-budget appearance but never even reaches simple mediocrity. Griffin is as cute as a button, but she never really gels with Payne, who for his part wanders through the movie without a clue. Their on-screen romance never even approaches credibility, and the whole affair comes off as forced.
