Movie Review ‘Swiped’

by | Sep 19, 2025 | Featured Post, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


Greetings again from the darkness. Successful businesspeople always intrigue me – especially visionary founders and true entrepreneurs – those who actually bring something new to the market. Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk all fit the description … although to clarify, I do not assume their business acumen translates into moral integrity or empathetic humanity. Writer-director Rachel Lee Goldenberg and writer Bill Parker (previous collaborators on UNPREGNANT, 2020) and writer Kim Caramele take on the somewhat tricky project of profiling Whitney Wolfe.

Ms. Wolfe, played here by Lily James (CINDERELLA, 2015; BABY DRIVER, 2017) was the brains behind two successful dating apps, Tinder and Bumble. While the story is “inspired by actual events”, telling Whitney’s story is complicated by the fact that she remains under the terms of a Tinder NDA … the filmmakers weren’t even allowed to speak with her. Instead, reading the lawsuit documents and researching interviews from those who were around as she made her mark provided the outline of this talented, ambitious woman who rose to the top in a sea of Tech Bros.

The film opens in 2012 Los Angeles when Whitney first crossed paths with Sean Rad (Ben Schnetzer, 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE, 2017), the founder of Hatch Labs/Tinder. Her ingenuity and creative mind helped Tinder explode in popularity by taking the app directly to the college students she identified as the initial target market. We feel the energy in the room as the Tinder team watches their success literally click off on a digital counter mounted in the office. That euphoric energy is soon replaced by a much different vibe for Whitney and the other female co-workers.

One of the best features of the film is how it portrays Whitney and her experience with the male-dominated Tech Bros. Sexual harassment, misogyny, and a straight-faced mentor who lies to her face lead to her anxiety and paranoia. Even other women in the company are frustrated that she hasn’t used her power – in fact, Whitney has a collision between ambition and wanting to do things the right way. When is the line crossed for toxic behavior? What to ‘let slide’ and when to ‘stand up’ is the dilemma facing Whitney and scores of other women.

When the breakdown finally occurs and Whitney is recruited by Badoo founder Andrey Andeev (Dan Stevens with a Russian accent). Her perfect scenario of creating an app that shifts dating dynamics from a work environment that rewards proper behavior and quality of production is nearly shattered by a repeat of past evils. However, we see how Whitney has grown as a person and takes responsibility for ensuring things are done correctly in her environment. It ends up as a feel-good story of redemption.

An excellent supporting cast also consists of Clea DuVall, an excellent Myha’la, Jackson White, and Pierson Fode. The main criticism would be with the camera work. The bouncing handheld technique is overused for a story that creates its own energy. It would be a mistake to wave this off as a “Me Too” film, despite it fitting squarely in the space. More importantly, it’s a reflection of real-life workspaces and how one trailblazer found the right path and became the youngest female self-made billionaire … certainly a story worth telling.

20th Century Studios’ SWIPED releases on Hulu on September 19, 2025

David Ferguson
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