Swiped Review: Lily James Excels in Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s Formulaic But Engaging Biographical Drama
Swiped right on Lily James, whose performance as Whitney Wolfe is the very reason that elevates Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s biographical drama of the real-life Bumble founder who becomes the youngest female self-made billionaire in history. Set in the 2010s, the movie doesn’t waste time establishing her character right from the get-go, showcasing her persistence to cold-pitch her app idea to potential venture capitalists at a tech event.
She got turned down flat, only to land a second chance after encountering Sean Rad (Ben Schnetzer), who ended up giving her his card. It’s hard not to root for James’s effortless charm and lively portrayal in displaying her character’s quick-witted and business-savvy nature that convinces Sean to hire her as a marketing director for his tech start-up company.
From here, it’s like a conventional A-to-Z journey of ups and downs for Whitney, beginning with her being put in charge of the Cardify Loyalty Rewards app, but it wasn’t until she became heavily involved in the Tinder project. Not only does she suggest the name, but she also manages to convince co-founder Justin (Jackson White) about refining the app design to make it both user-friendly and appealing to the young demographics
Seemingly mimicking the fast-paced world of the ever-competitive tech start-ups, Goldenberg matches the subject with her brisk direction as the movie continues to follow Whitney’s meteoric rise to fame, notably after being promoted as the co-founder of Tinder following the app’s success in reaching over 23,000 users. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows working at a startup company dominated by the tech bro culture for Whitney.
The movie’s otherwise bouncy tone is gradually shifted to reflect her subsequent downfall after struggling in a toxic work culture and facing gender discrimination. Despite her contribution, she remains part of the marginalised group along with the rest of the female employees at the company, to the point that the co-founders go as far as deliberately discrediting her work from getting external recognition. The ensuing conflicts are competently addressed here without delving deep into the topical themes of power dynamics, hostile work environment and sexual harassment that Whitney forces to endure every day.
It’s all surface-level storytelling, but even with its shortcomings, Swiped remains compulsively watchable as the movie progresses. Again, you have to give it to Lily James. Her character’s resilience and never-give-up attitude, even when the world is seemingly turning against her, is inspiring to look at. Her downfall is a blessing in disguise, thanks to the introduction of Andrey (Dan Stevens), a Russian tech entrepreneur behind the Badoo online dating app, who offers her a chance to get back into the game.
Except this time, she’s not interested in repeating the same Tinder-like app feat, preferring to tweak into a dating app prioritising a women-first approach called Bumble and even demands a top-level position as both founder and CEO. It’s a pity that the rest of the actors pale in comparison with the scene-stealing Lily James, even though actors like Jackson White, Dan Stevens and Myha’la, where the latter plays Whitney’s co-worker and best friend Tisha, still manage to pull off adequate support.
Swiped marks the only third feature for Goldenberg after Valley Girl and Unpregnant and beyond her grasp on turning a superficial biographical drama into a surprisingly rousing entertainment, she also has a good ear for needle-dropping a few popular songs from Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams’ “Get Lucky” to The Ting Tings’ “Shut Up and Let Me Go” that mirror the palpable energy of the movie. Not to mention the movie’s overall consistent pace that rarely flags throughout its 110-minute runtime.
Swiped is streaming on Disney+.
