Line #43 FIlm/Swindle


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bnzk1nzk4mtyyml5bml5banbnxkftztgwnji2nza2mde_v1.jpg]]
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3	''Swindle'' is a 2013 made for TV movie by Nickelodeon, released on August 24th. It is an [[FilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of a book of the same name by Gordon Korman. The film's main cast is comprised almost entirely of stars from Nickelodeon's recent LiveActionTV block- Noah Crawford and Creator/ChrisONeal, Creator/JennetteMcCurdy, Creator/NoahMunck, Music/ArianaGrande, and Creator/CiaraBravo.
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5	The plot follows Griffin "The Brains" Bing (Crawford) acquiring a baseball card worth 1.2 million dollars, but, being unaware of its value, sells it off for cheap. After he and his friend Ben find out about how they were [[TitleDrop swindled]], they are enraged and determined to steal back the card, enlisting a group of their fellow students to help steal the card.
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8	!!This film contains examples of
9	* AdaptationDyeJob: Antonia "Pitch" Benson's hair was changed from honey-blonde in the books to brown in the movie.
10	* AdaptationNameChange: Several characters' names have been changed from the original here-for instance Savannah Drysdale's last name is Westcott, Ben is now Ben Dupree, Antonia is Amanda and Swindle gets the name Paul Swendell instead of S. Wendell Palomino.
11	* AdaptedOut: Luthor, the AngryGuardDog-turned-TeamPet who was prominent in the cover of every book, is completely removed for the movie.
12	%%* AirVentPassageway: Amanda uses this to get all the way to the basement from the roof.
13	* AndTheAdventureContinues: At the end, the gang decide to use their abilities to stop people from getting swindled.
14	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Swindell is [[LoggingOntoTheFourthWall shown on a business review site]] to be [[WantedPoster wanted]] for forged checks, scamming old ladies, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs loan sharking, shark loaning]] and [[EvilIsPetty taking candy from a baby.]]
15	%%* ArtisticLicenseLaw: Wouldn't charging the Crown Suite to Swindell be fraud?
16	%%* AssholeVictim: Swindell is completely amoral, going so far as to push a nun (Savannah in disguise) in a wheelchair down a hill.
17	* BatmanGambit: The entire movie hinged on this. Instead of stealing the card back, Griffin decides on a large, complex one to obtain the card legally, and be able to sell it later.
18	* CakeToppers: The Captain Cybertor toy ends up replacing the groom.
19	%%* CaperCrew: The kids fall into several of these roles.
20	* CaperRationalization: DoubleSubverted. At first the group tries to steal the card back from Swindell, but after realizing that even if they pulled it off, they would never be able to sell it, plot to get him to give it back to them... and their pursuit of this goal is still in a highly illegal manner, but the audience doesn't mind since [[JerkAss Swindell]] well, [[MeaningfulName swindled]] Ben, who really needs the money.
21	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Darren is strong enough to push a badly parked car into place! ''Sideways!''
22	%%* ClosetGeek: Amanda.
23	%%* DoggedNiceGuy: Eddie toward Amanda.
24	%%* EverythingIsOnline: Melissa manages to take control of an elevator.
25	%%* HighSchoolHustler: Griffin, though he isn't that way in the book.
26	* FoodFight: Occurs during the wedding scene to get the doll. Those poor Greek newlyweds...
27	%%* FunnyForeigner: Savannah and Darren's disguise as Swedish children is this.
28	%%-->'''Savannah:''' "We heard it was worth the monies."\
29	'''Darren:''' "Ya, the monies!"
30	%%* GagNose: Anton Leferve has one.
31	%%* HollywoodHacking: Melissa.
32	* HowWeGotHere: The film starts with Griffin and the gang crashing a wedding, and Griffon narrating, before we cut to the actual start of the film.
33	* InMediasRes: The movie begins with the food fight at the wedding, with all the main characters going for the action figure. The camera zooms in on Griffin while his voice-over says, "You're probably wondering what's going on." Then it rewinds to the beginning.
34	* InNameOnly: The plot of the movie is drastically different from that of the book, as are the characters. [[CompositeCharacter Logan, the actor, is played by a girl and named Savannah, whose role is removed.]] [[AdaptationalHeroism Darren is in on it from the beginning,]] while Melissa, a [[ShrinkingViolet shy tech geek]] in the books, [[AdaptationalJerkass bullies her way onto the team during the failed first plan.]] [[spoiler:Melissa is also {{Retcon}}ned as [[RelatedInTheAdaptation Griffin's sister]], while in the book she was part of the separate Dukakis family.]] The Babe Ruth card is changed to a Honus Wagner card for some reason. And Luthor, the TeamPet in the books whose image is depicted on every cover of each book in the series, [[AdaptedOut is nowhere to be seen]] (as is Tom Dufferin, Swindle's assistant manager).
35	%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Darren. [[{{Disneyfication}} Not so much in the book.]]
36	* JerkassHasAPoint: Swindell is a world-class dick if ever there was one, but he's correct on two counts: 1) It isn't his fault that Ben and Griffin didn't bother to look up the value of their card, and 2) they did sell the card legally. However, it could be argued that his actions fit the legal definition of "fraud" (conducting deliberate deception for the purpose of material gain), which would contradict his claim that he didn't break any laws.
37	* KarmaHoudini: The gang breaks into Swindell's shop, steals his hotel reservation, and leaves him on the hook for a thirty-five thousand dollar hotel bill, not to mention coercing him into returning something that he purchased from them legally (if not ethically). Granted, he had it coming, but still, they're never made to actually answer for any of this ''and'' they pocket a cool 1.2 million on top of it. They also utterly destroy an unfortunate couple's wedding without consequence, though they do at least have the decency to pay back the couple by footing the bill for their honeymoon.
38	* LoveTriangle: Ben and Eddie with Amanda. Broken through Amanda expressing disgust at a relationship between her and the latter, and the former getting a ShipTease with her in the ending.
39	%%* {{Macguffin}}: The Honus Wagner card.
40	%%* MeaningfulName: Swindle is a conman.
41	* MiserableMassage: One part of the plan to stall and trick Swindle is for him to take a massage, with who he ''believes'' is the rich auction owner he's trying to impress. Throughout the scene, he's grunting in pain and keeps getting his neck chopped and pushed.
42	%%* OnlyInItForTheMoney: The initial reason why Amanda, Savannah and Darren decided to join Griffin in getting the card back. Nothing else could convince them to join.
43	%%* PaperThinDisguise: Savannah could give Team Rocket a run for their money.
44	* PronouncingMyNameForYou: Swindle repeatedly corrects people, saying his name is pronounced "Swin-dell", with an emphasis on the E.
45	%%* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Griffin's team created to get the card back.
46	%%* TheReveal:
47	%%** [[spoiler:Melissa is actually Griffin's younger sister.]]
48	%%** Also, [[spoiler:Ivan Volkov is Savannah's father.]]
49	* RunningGag: Let's just say Swindell has to spend a lot of time correcting people on his last name.
50	-->"It's Swin''dell''. Accent on the back half."
51	* SequelHook: In case Nickelodeon decide to make more movies based off of the other books in the series, the film ends in roughly the same way as the book did- the team unites again to stop someone being swindled.
52	* ShoutOut: Darren Vader's name is a reference to Darth Vader. The music department missed the opportunity to play "The Imperial March'' when he came on screen.
53	* ShownTheirWork: The card shown in the film is a T206 Honus Wagner card (or at least a convincing recreation) and it really is as valuable as the film says: The card was produced by the American Tobacco Company in the early 1900s, but Wagner eventually refused to let them continue producing it, so only a small handful were actually made. There are only 57 known copies in existence.
54	* StrollingThroughTheChaos: Griffin during the wedding scene. He walks calmly through the food fight and comes out with just a small patch of frosting on one shoulder.
55	%%* SpyCatsuit: Amanda wears one while confronting Swindell during the wedding.
56	* TeamPowerWalk: At the end with the team preparing to go on another mission. Parodied when [[BookEnds Ben slips and throws away his slushie again as he did at the beginning of the movie]].
57	* ThrowTheDogABone: After Ben gets to keep the money he got from the card, one of the first things he did was pay for a very expensive honeymoon for the greek newlyweds to make up for the ruined wedding.
58	%%* TheNamesake: Dropped by Ben when the gang performs TheReveal on Swindell.
59	%%* YouOweMe: One of the tactics Griffin uses to recruit Amanda, Savannah, and Darren to the team. It doesn't work.

Context FIlm / Swindle