Swiped

TIFF REVIEW: BY DARREN ZAKUS

September 18, 2025

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Swiped features a stunning turn from Lily James as Whitney Wolfe, the creator of Bumble, that when combined with the insightful script tackling gender and power dynamics within the tech industry and dating, this makes for an emotionally charged and entertaining behind the scenes look at the creation of one of the world’s most popular dating apps.

Hollywood has always had a proclivity for telling stories of technological advancements on the big screen, highlighting not only the innovations themselves, but the individuals behind them and any ethical and moral concerns that arose from these technological developments. We’ve seen many films tackle advancements during the wars, such as Oppenheimer which tells the story behind the creation of the atomic bomb and The Imitation Game that dramatizes the creation of the Enigma machine which helped the Allied Forces win the Second World War, and have even moved into modern times with The Social Network chronicling the rise of Facebook. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood set its sights on dating apps, but Swiped is far more than just a biopic about Whitney Wolfe and what led her to create Bumble: it’s a Me Too inspired story of gender, power and success that focuses more heavily on the motivating factors behind the creation of Bumble rather than the technology development itself. Combined with a great script written by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Bill Parker and Kim Caramele, the stage is set for Lily James to give one of the best performances of her career as Wolfe, which makes Swiped not only a crowd pleasing story of resilience and feminism, but one with important themes that viewers always need to be reminded of.

When doing biopics, there are two standard options available to storytellers. You can either provide a cursory overview of the subject's life, or focus on a specific segment of their life. In telling Whitney Wolfe’s story, Goldenberg, Parker and Caramele opt for the second option and focus on Whitney’s beginnings at Tinder and the events that led to her leaving that company and starting Bumble. The entire screenplay is characterized to focus on the individual relationships rather than the technology itself, exposing the gender and power dynamics in the workplace and starting an insightful commentary, even if the film was created without any input from the individuals involved for legal reasons. What follows is at times devastating and emotionally charged as it tackles sexual harassment head on, but creates an overall empowering true story of standing up for yourself and making the world a better and safer place. While tackling difficult subject matter, though this subject matter that is more commonly talked about in this post Me Too era, Goldenberg, Parker and Caramele have not only written an engaging narrative that balances the drama and emotion, but have done so in a film that also entertains with laughter and an immense amount of hear, leaving viewers feeling better about the changes in the world created by individuals like Whitney Wolfe.

As previously hinted at in this review, Swiped does not succeed with James, who is the fearless leader of the film. Being a female entrepreneur in the tech industry, a field that is typically predominantly male, there is a strength and fight to Whitney, and James captures this from the first frame of the film. With wit, confidence and charm, James embodies this bold business woman, displaying her innate intelligence and how she became a force to be reckoned with that allowed her to quickly rise through the ranks at Tinder. As the film progresses and Whitney begins to be shut out from Tinder, as the screenplay begins to address the cruel reality some women face in a field dominated by power hungry men with big egos, James finds an aching vulnerability that lets the audience feel the pain that Whitney undergoes. It’s raw and deeply personal, but in doing so, James sets up Whitney’s inspiring transformation heading into the third act as she uses the hardship she has endured as an inspiration to transform modern dating forever. It’s a fierce performance from James that not only lights up every scene with the undeniable and dazzling talent we have seen from her over her entire career, but becomes the beating heart of the entire film and stands out as one of the best performances from James to date.

While this is James’s film from start to finish, she gets the supporting cast she deserves, which only goes to help elevate her performance. Myha’la is great as Whitney’s friend and co-worker Tisha, acting as a strong supporter of Whitney’s while also dealing out tough love as necessary with an assertiveness and understanding of her position in a male dominated industry. Jackson White and Ben Schnetzer have the challenging roles of Justin and Sean respectively, Whitney’s two co-workers at Tinder. They each create a welcoming presence in the film’s first half, especially White who develops a sweet romantic chemistry with James, before slowly unraveling their characters as the fragility of their ego takes over as they become threatened by Whitney. They both deliver chilling work, ensuring that their characters do not become cartoon-like caricatures, but instead two disturbing portrayals of unchecked power and arrogance. And then there is Dan Stevens, ever the chameleon as Andrey Andreev, the tech entrepreneur who gives Whitney the means to create Bumble. Almost unrecognizable at first with his accent and prosthetics, Stevens captures a very different male character than Schnetzer and White, having some good comedic moments at the same time as highlighting yet a different problem within the workplace.

Funny, emotional, and empowering, Swiped has everything that audiences could possibly want from a biopic and more. With a strong screenplay from Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Bill Parker and Kim Caramele that simultaneously entertains and develops meaningful social commentary as it explores ideas of gender and power dynamics within the technology industry, the film not only sets its cast up with great material to work, but tells a timely story of innovation, perseverance and personal strength that feels important in today’s society. Led by the always amazing Lily James in a dazzling performance that is as powerful as it is vulnerable as she brings to life Whitney Wolfe in one of the best performances of her career, Swiped soars with an unflinching honesty in its screenplay as it tackles sexual harassment and gender and power disparities in telling Whitney Wolfe’s story and how she revolutionized modern dating and became one of the most powerful business woman in the world in this riveting biopic.