Not Something That Completely Interested Me. A Fast-Paced Doco Exploring A Subject Where Your Imagination Can Pretty Much Fill The Gaps (Unintentional Pun There). Nothing Really Else Surprising Other Than The Bizarre List Of Celebrities Caught Up In Taboo, 70s-Disco & Smutty Kink For Hedonistic Immature "Adults"..

I found it interesting.

Candid and interesting look at the '70s swinger lifestyle in New York (particularly surrounding this one club), but a broader, more comprehensive look is begged for here, some grander statement about sexual mores, because this documentary only skirts the edge of the truly interesting commentary on the times in favor of a narrower focus on one dude.

Worth it simply to watch Buck Henry complain about the free buffet at the sex club. It is time for the second coming of Buck Henry!

Batter, batter, batter!!! Swing batter!!!!!!

interesting doc when i got it i thought it was a fictionalized version but this works much better great footage from the period is used.

Entertaining documentary about the rise and fall of New York's infamous sex club Plato's Retreat. An interesting portrait of the sexual free-for-all in the years before AIDS ended the party.

very well put together documentary about platos nightclub of the wild 1970s in new york city.

Decent doc on the rise of what has to be one of the worlds most popular swing clubs. It was nice to see that it was as disgusting as I imagined such a place to be. Not morally, but literally filthy with stories of people getting crabs just by sitting on the furniture. Bleach! Anyways, it's not a revolutionary documentary, or an educational one, it just sort of goes on rather passively. Which isn't a great sign for a any type of movie really.

The first problem was that there did not seem to be enough material to tell a very long and interesting story. The second problem was that they failed technically (overuse of some visuals, not using a narrator, etc.).

Well-made documentary featuring some great 70's music - amongst other things. Certainly entertaining, but warningly graphic in nature. You won't find this on imdb but Mark Cuban was one of the executive producers.

En dokumentär gjord enligt formulär 1A om en swingersklubb i New York mellan 1975-85 och dess karismatiske ägare Larry Levenson.

One of the complaints over the years about documentaries is how very unsexy they usually are. To contradict that complaint, along comes "American Swing" which is about the rise and fall of Larry Levenson who owned the legendary swinger's club Plato's Retreat in New York City. While it is implied that he was just there to have sex with everything that moved, at least he was open about his desires without shame, even going on any number of talk shows including Phil Donahue. The documentary is liberally illustrated with explicit photographs and videos taken inside the club, which while interesting from a historical angle, do not improve on anything we could have imagined ourselves. Of the talking heads, there are adult entertainment veterans including Ron Jeremy, Dian Hanson and Annie Sprinkle but the movie makes no connection between the pornography industry and swinging. On a wider basis, the documentary partially successfully fits the club in a wider discussion of the sexual revolution, especially related to suburban couples, as Plato's Retreat allowed suburbanites from Long Island and New Jersey(definitely NOT my parents, by the way) to escape into anonymity where their neighbors would be unaware what they were up to(unless they were there, too). However, the film fails to mention the second club on 34th Street was just a short walk away from Penn Station. The most liberating part for the participants was sometimes not the sex but the acceptance of all body types. For women, it could be a mixed bag, either a continuation of patriarchal attitudes or a free exploration of their own desires. Like all parties, the one at Plato's Retreat had to end, too. Where once the worst that could happen would be a bad case of crabs, in the 80's it was AIDS and the end of an era.

This is not a hard hitting documentary about the swinging scene in the 70's. It's looking back through rose tinted glasses.There lots of slightly over weight guys with handle bar mustaches and ladies with faces like chewed toffees. You don't really see any action and some of the talking heads seemed a bit prudish and embarrassed . One funny story about crabs and not one mention about Gonorrhea , Syphilis and unwanted pregnancies. I'm not moralizing here because I have lived a life but if your going to tell a story tell it warts and all (no pun intended)

Grandparent types talk about the orgies they were in back in the day. Good for them

While a lot of the footage in the film is shocking, it doesn't give us anything more than naked bodies in the throws of various sexual positions. And the story that follows plays out like the story of Studio 54 - owner believes his own hype, gets thrown in jail for tax evasion, club goes to crap. Had the documentary focused more on swinging in general, there might have been more than this by the numbers film.

This is not a hard hitting documentary about the swinging scene in the 70's. It's looking back through rose tinted glasses. One funny story about crabs and not one mention about Gonorrhea , Syphilis and unwanted pregnancies. I'm not moralizing here because i have lived a life but if your going to tell a story tell it warts and all (no pun intended)

This movie is entertaining and not for the prudish at all. Larry Levenson is quite an interesting guy. I can't call him a complete sleaze ball and that was part of Plato's charm and it's draw during its heyday in the late 70s. I will admit that I did look at this movie with a grimace on my face. It was not the sex that bothered me, but the horrible dread in my stomach knowing what the diagnosis of HIV was a few years around the corner. I just shuttered wondering how many people in the clips were diagnosed. They all seemed like really nice people who were just having fun and boom. Scary stuff.

Excellent documentary!

WOW If You wanna know what your Parents or distant cousins where (Possibly) Into Watch this They where rilly Kinky Back in the day Disco Sex.. Mattress Room.. Orgys ..Sex in Swimming pools Small Private Orgy rooms Free all you can eat buffet Came with your 25$ Admission... When I look At old people now im ganna wounder if they where at PLATOS ReTreat ;p hahahhaha* *