Swindle 2013

Comedy

Crime

Rank

#25,365

Runtime

92 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Jonathan Judge

Made by

Nickelodeon Productions

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Swindle Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Swindle (2013). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Griffin Bing, Noah Crawford, a teenager known for stepping in when friends are in trouble, teams up with his friend Ben Dupree, Christopher O’Neal, after Ben’s family faces the pressure to sell their home because his father’s string of failed inventions has left them strapped for cash. In the chaos, a hidden treasure surfaces: a Honus Wagner baseball card tucked inside the wall, and the pair quickly cash in by selling it to the pawn shop owner, Paul Swindell, for $350.

When they catch the evening news, they learn Swindell plans to auction the card for a mind‑boggling $1.2 million, insisting he deserves the credit for finding it. The plan to take it back matures into a bold heist, recruiting a crew that includes Amanda Benson, Ariana Grande, the team’s cheerful but geeky cheerleader; Savannah Westcott, Jennette McCurdy, the actress with a savvy edge; and Darren Vader, Noah Munck, the “muscle.” Griffin, however, initially spurns his younger sister, the hacker Melissa Bing, Ciara Bravo, from joining, before finally welcoming her aid when she demonstrates real skill in bypassing alarms.

The crew infiltrates Swindell’s shop, and Griffin manages to locate the card but worries about turning themselves into prime suspects. Melissa’s quick hack of the alarm system earns her a seat at the table, and the plot thickens as wealthy entrepreneur Anton Lefevre invites Swindell to auction the reveal of the card at the Lakeshore Hotel. Amanda, in a bid to prove herself and her geeky chops, borrows two “Captain Cybertor” action figures from Eddie Goldmeyer, Mitch Duffield, trading for a date to sweeten the deal.

Swindell moves the plan toward a grand sale at the hotel, and Savannah uses her wiles to slip into a crown suite, aided by a room key she procures under Swindell’s nose. Melissa, using her technical prowess, hijacks the hotel system to assign a cheap room to Swindell, while Savannah and Darren manipulate Swindell with a web of deception, presenting a red‑headed Captain Cybertor as a fake treasure worth a fortune. They also manufacture a tale about a red‑headed figure being sought by an elusive collector named Ivan Volkov.

In a clever twist, Amanda switches the Cybertor boxes, and Swindell sells the red‑headed Cybertor to Volkov for $80,000 before realizing the ruse. The plan unravels when Volkov is revealed to be Savannah’s father, who has been enlisted to help. The gang then reveals their true ownership of the Honus Wagner card to Lefevre, who invites them to the auction as legitimate bidders. As they prepare to depart, Swindell accidentally exposes a stash of counterfeit Honus Wagner cards with his own face printed on them, and he faces a $35,000 bill for the Crown Suite.

Ben recognizes that the family’s financial worries are easing thanks to his invention’s success in a cash prize contest, and in gratitude he rewards the group with $25,000. He also announces that his family’s future is secured, and he uses a portion of the money to fund a honeymoon for the wedding couple, pays for the group’s college, and covers the remaining costs so they can keep working together. The tale closes with a hopeful note as a little girl asks Griffin for help recovering a rare bird from a shady groomer, and Griffin decides to dedicate the team’s remaining resources to continue foiling swindlers and protecting those in need.

Swindle Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Swindle (2013) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Card found inside wall

Griffin and Ben discover a Honus Wagner baseball card hidden inside a wall after one of Ben’s father’s inventions punches through it. They realize the card’s immense value and the trouble it could bring if it falls into the wrong hands. This discovery kicks off the central conflict and motivates the subsequent plan to protect the card.

Ben Dupree's home

Card sold to Swindell for a pittance

Griffin and Ben decide to cash in and hand the card to pawn shop owner Paul Swindell for $350. They assume it’s a straightforward sale, unaware Swindell intends to flip it for a fortune. The modest deal seeds the larger caper when news later reveals Swindell’s real plan to auction the card for millions.

Paul Swindell's pawn shop

News exposes Swindell’s auction plan

The news reports reveal Swindell’s plan to auction the card for $1.2 million, claiming to have found it himself. Griffin and Ben recognize the deception and vow to retrieve what’s theirs. The revelation escalates the conflict and sets the group on a path to recover the card.

TV news broadcast

Griffin forms the heist team

Griffin sketches a plan and recruits Amanda, Savannah, and Darren to help recover the card. He initially rejects his younger sister Melissa, who later proves herself capable and joins the effort. The assembled crew prepares for the planned infiltration of Swindell’s operations.

Griffin's planning space

Break-in to Swindell’s shop; Melissa joins

The team sneaks into Swindell’s shop to locate the card. Griffin spots the prize but fears being a prime suspect, prompting Melissa to join by hacking the alarm and enabling a safer escape. The successful alarm hack marks a turning point in their covert operation.

Swindell's pawn shop

Lefevre invites Swindell to auction

Wealthy businessman Anton Lefevre invites Swindell to auction off the card, escalating the stakes. This pushes the plan toward the Lakeshore Hotel auction and attracts additional bidders. The invitation advances the plot toward the high-stakes event.

Lefevre's office

Captain Cybertor figures acquired

Amanda trades for two Captain Cybertor action figures with Eddie Goldmeyer, exchanging a date for the rare blue-haired version and a valuable red-headed version worth $80,000. The figures become central to later deception and planning. This haul expands the team’s resources for the upcoming scheme.

Eddie Goldmeyer's store

Lakeshore Hotel setup begins

The Lakeshore Hotel auction becomes the battleground. Savannah poses as Swindell’s daughter to secure the crown suite key, while Melissa hacks the hotel system to assign Swindell a cheap room. The hotel maneuvers set the stage for the card’s final exchange.

Lakeshore Hotel

Cybertor price deception escalates

Savannah and Darren manipulate the price game around the red-headed Captain Cybertor, helping Swindell misjudge the value of the real red figure. The deception compounds as the hotel plan unfolds and the real prize remains in play.

Lakeshore Hotel

Disguised Lefevre warns of Volkov

Disguised as Lefevre, Griffin warns Swindell that collector Ivan Volkov is seeking the red-headed Cybertor. The warning heightens tension and sets up a dramatic confrontation at the auction. The scheme gains an ominous personal edge with Volkov’s looming presence.

Hotel room

Cybertor switch and Volkov reveal

Amanda swaps the Cybertor boxes, and Swindell ends up selling the red-headed Cybertor to Volkov for $80,000. The twist reveals Volkov as Savannah’s father, adding a personal stake to the caper. The team ramps up efforts to recover the card.

Lakeshore Hotel

Revealing true owners to Lefevre

The gang reveals themselves to Lefevre as the actual owners of the Honus Wagner card, prompting Lefevre to invite them to the upcoming auction. This shifts the power dynamics and legitimizes their claim to the prize. The plan now centers on the auction itself as the climactic battlefield.

Lefevre's office/circle

Fake Honus cards spill; real card reclaimed

Swindell spills a case full of counterfeit Honus Wagner cards bearing his own face. The real victory comes when the gang retrieves the Cybertor and exchanges it for the actual card, foiling Swindell’s ruse. The true card ends up back with its rightful owners.

Lakeshore Hotel

Ben funds the group and the honeymoon

Ben rewards the team with $25,000, explaining his family’s fortune is secure thanks to his father’s invention winning the cash prize. He funds a real honeymoon for the wedding couple, pays for the group’s college, and reserves the rest for future ventures. The team gains financial stability and recognition.

Hotel lobby/Ben's home

Griffin helps a girl; vow to keep fighting swindlers

A little girl asks Griffin to help retrieve a rare-breed bird worth $20,000 from a fake groomer, and Griffin agrees to help. He resolves to use the remaining money to continue foiling swindlers rather than spending it all. The story closes with a commitment to helping others and resisting deception.

City location

Swindle Characters

Explore all characters from Swindle (2013). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Griffin Bing (Noah Crawford)

A resourceful teen with leadership instincts who plans the caper and tries to keep the team focused. He is quick-thinking, sometimes cocky, and wary of letting Melissa join, but grows to value everyone’s contribution.

🕵️‍♂️ Teen Leader 🗺️ Planner 🗣️ Charismatic

Ben Dupree (Christopher O'Neal)

The science-minded friend whose family’s money troubles and his father’s risky inventions propel the crew’s mission. He is loyal, practical, and supportive of his friends, bridging home life with the caper.

🧪 Inventor’s Son 🧭 Loyal ⚡ Practical

Amanda Benson (Ariana Grande)

A geeky, tech-savvy strategist who brings gadgets and pop-culture know-how to the team. She is brave, witty, and willing to embarrass herself to advance the mission.

💡 Geek 🧠 Strategist

Savannah Westcott (Jennette McCurdy)

An aspiring actress who uses charm and access to navigate social spaces. She finds herself involved in the plan and contributes with social manipulation and resourceful improvisation.

🎭 Actress 🗝️ Access 😄 Charmer

Melissa Bing (Ciara Bravo)

Griffin’s younger sister and a skilled hacker who proves essential by disabling alarms. She starts on the edge of the plan but earns a key role through her technical prowess.

💻 Hacker 🧩 Quick-thinker

Darren Vader (Noah Munck)

The team’s muscle and steady presence; he provides physical support and a sense of humor. He helps keep the plan grounded and protects teammates during the risky moments.

💪 Muscle 🛡️ Protector

Paul Swindell (Fred Ewanuick)

The slick pawn shop owner who suspects nothing at first and then reinforces the conflicts with his greed. A foil to the teen team, his scheming drives the central conflict.

🧑‍💼 Antagonist 🤑 Swindler

Ivan Volkov (Gardiner Millar)

A mysterious buyer posed as the real collector, whose intentions escalate tension. The reveal shows a deeper manipulation behind the auction and ties the plan to a personal angle.

🎯 Collector 🕵️‍♂️ Mastermind

Anton Lefevre (Sandy Robson)

A wealthy businessman orchestrating an auction spectacle, whose interest in rare cards becomes the catalyst for the group’s caper. His role adds a layer of high-stakes tension.

💼 Millionaire 🗂️ Auctioneer

Ben Dupree's Father (Chris Shields)

An inventive father whose failed inventions push the family toward financial strain, yet his creation—iGotit—ultimately influences the competition and offers a hopeful turn.

👨‍🔬 Inventor 🧭 Family

Ben Dupree's Mother (Lucia Walters)

A supportive parent whose presence grounds the family’s efforts and underscores the personal stakes behind the caper.

👩‍👧 Family 🫶 Supportive

Swindle Settings

Learn where and when Swindle (2013) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

Present day

The story unfolds in contemporary times with modern technology, social maneuvering, and online news about the card’s value. The characters rely on gadgets, hacking, and pop-culture props to execute their plan. The events sit within today’s collectible market and media landscape, giving a real-world relevance to the caper.

Location

Lakeshore Hotel, Swindell's Pawn Shop, Ben Dupree's Family Home

The Lakeshore Hotel is the central setting for the auction and the disguises. Swindell's Pawn Shop is where the Honus Wagner card is initially found and sets the caper in motion. Ben Dupree's Family Home provides background on the family finances and the father’s inventive world, grounding the plan in personal stakes.

🏨 Hotel 🧩 Heist 🏠 Family

Swindle Themes

Discover the main themes in Swindle (2013). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🤝

Teamwork

A diverse group of teens pool their skills—planning, hacking, charm, and brawn—to tackle a risky caper. Each member's strengths compensate for others' weaknesses, showing that cooperation beats solitary effort. The heist relies on trust, quick shifts in roles, and a shared goal.

🧠

Cunning

The plan hinges on misdirection, disguises, and clever use of pop culture props. The team adapts to setbacks—like exposure or suspicion—by improvising and exploiting the target's ego. The movie highlights the thrill of outsmarting a more powerful adversary.

💰

Greed vs Generosity

Swindell's greed drives the conflict, while the protagonists redirect the spoils toward meaningful ends. The story shows how money can enable helping friends, family, and even strangers in need. The final choices emphasize using wealth for communal good rather than personal gain.

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Swindle Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Swindle (2013). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a sleepy town where a love of collectibles can turn everyday life into an unexpected adventure, Griffin finds himself in a bind after an innocent mistake leaves him far short of the true value of a prized baseball card. The loss hits hard, not just financially but also in the way it rattles his reputation as the kid who always steps in when someone’s in trouble. The incident drags in his best friend, Ben, whose own family pressures add a layer of urgency to the situation, setting the stage for a partnership built on loyalty and a shared desire to make things right.

The film’s tone balances light‑hearted comedy with the restless energy of a teenage heist‑caper, inviting the audience to root for a ragtag crew that assembles as quickly as it does doubts. Alongside Griffin and Ben, a colorful array of friends—each bringing a quirky skill or off‑beat perspective—join the effort, hinting at the kind of collaborative mischief that feels both earnest and wildly inventive. Their chemistry feels like the kind of friendship that thrives on banter, hidden talents, and the occasional reckless gamble.

Against a backdrop of suburban streets, a bustling pawn shop, and the occasional high‑stakes auction buzz, the story captures the tension between ordinary life and the lure of a bold, improvised scheme. The characters move through familiar settings that suddenly feel charged with possibility, as the stakes of a single card ripple outward, drawing in family hopes, teenage dreams, and the promise of a comeback.

With its rapid‑fire dialogue, playful set‑pieces, and a soundtrack that mirrors the characters’ youthful optimism, the movie paints a world where a misstep can spark an entire adventure. The audience is left watching the unfolding plan with a mixture of anticipation and amusement, eager to see how a group of determined friends will navigate the fine line between clever trickery and heartfelt redemption.