SWIPED
Starring: Lily James, Ben Schnetzer, Dan Stevens, Myha’la, Jackson White, Ian Colletti, Mary Neely, Pierson Fodé, and Dermot Mulroney
Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg
PAIGE
Swiped is a conventional biopic that doesn’t do much to stand out from the crowd. While the movie certainly touches upon issues like gender inequality in the workplace and online harassment, it doesn’t dive deep enough into these matters. The film needed to lean more on such topics and the ways in which Whitney Wolfe Herd (Lily James) overcame them to convey this impactful story of female empowerment. Instead, the movie plays it safe. It may be a breezy watch, but it’s not something I’d swipe right on.
ROBERT
Recent-history biopics have been a… recent trend, sometimes with studios optioning a story less than two years after the real event occurred. Usually, they focus on financial or tech-based companies, so Swiped falls right in line, fictionalizing the founding of Bumble by Whitney Wolfe Herd (Lily James). The film captures the toxic nature of tech-bro culture in a way that makes you require a shower afterwards, but otherwise, it doesn’t push boundaries or make you feel the need to know about Whitney’s whole life. However, the way in which they frame her rise, fall, and rise again, coupled with Lily James’ performance, is intriguing.
KATIE
Swiped is entertaining with a great leading performance by Lily James, but it is ultimately a disappointingly paint-by-numbers account of Whitney Wolfe Herd’s (James) complex rise to success. It's bright, glossy, straightforward, and simple, and it certainly shows us how the misogynistic tech bro culture impacts Whitney’s life, career, and her mental health. However, Swiped doesn’t get into how this culture is perpetuated or offer much insight into how Tinder impacted its users and the ethics of dating. The film feels shallow, and many of the supporting characters are underdeveloped. It lightly touches upon the pitfalls of girl boss feminism, but not satisfyingly enough.
BODE
It’s a testament to Lily James that I was even somewhat interested in Swiped, which chronicles the story of dating app titan Whitney Wolfe Herd. And credit to her performance, and to the film’s creative team, they make what’s essentially a dramatized Wikipedia page decently entertaining. It’s certainly at its most interesting when observing the toxicity of the male-dominated tech world, and how Wolfe Herd benefitted from it until she suddenly didn’t. It probably would’ve been better had it not become another celebration of the corporate billionaire by the end. Regardless, you can still swipe right on this biopic.
