Young Woman and the Sea Review: A Determined Daisy Ridley Leads a Biopic with Some Inspiring Disney Magic

Summary

• A determined Daisy Ridley shines in a new Disney biopic, showcasing her versatility and talent as a leading lady.


• Gertrude Ederle's inspiring story of overcoming adversity, illness, and sexism is told in a pretty traditional way with a lot of sentiment, but nonetheless inspires.


• 
  Young Woman and the Sea
  has an excellent supporting cast across the board, especially Stephen Graham.

WNBA star Caitlin Clark is sending shockwaves through the sport of basketball and reminding us that athletics don't have to be male-dominated in order to garner the attention of all those fans across the U.S. And 100 years ago, a similar dynamic came to light, when a certain female swimmer successfully crossed the English Channel by herself, proving you don't need that extra chromosome to make it happen. It was Trudy Ederle who accomplished this incredible feat in the 1920s and lived until 2003. Daisy Ridley portrays her in the new film, Young Woman and the Sea.

Her extraordinary journey amid tough times (to put it mildly) in a more sexist America is now depicted on the big screen with Disney's knockout new film. Young Woman and the Sea is a perhaps too traditional biopic that will nonetheless bring tears to your eyes and might even bring you to your feet in the theater, as you jump for joy and/or pump your fist to the beat of Ederle's inspired heart.

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Young Woman and the Sea

4/5

Young Woman and the Sea tells the story of Gertrude Ederle, an American swimming champion, who first won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games. In 1926, Ederle became the first woman to swim 21 miles across the English Channel.

Release Date

May 31, 2024

Runtime

1h 40m

Distributor(s)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Pros

• Daisy Ridley continues to impress as a powerful leading lady.
• The whole supporting cast give excellent performances in a very uplifting movie.
• Gertrude Ederle's story is inherently compelling.

Cons

• The movie plays it pretty safe as a very traditional biopic that can get a little too sentimental.

The late, great Chadwick Boseman was a perfect candidate to portray another sports icon, Jackie Robinson, in the acclaimed film 42 back in 2013, with Boseman's lion-like eyes evoking that fierce determination needed for the groundbreaking ballplayer. Similarly, there's Daisy Ridley, whose equally piercing eyes stole the show in the latest Star Wars trilogy as the beloved Rey Skywalker. It's no surprise, then, that she's the Young Woman for the part here. Daisy Ridley plays Ederle wonderfully with a flawless American accent (which she also showcased in Sometimes I Think About Dying) alongside an extremely talented supporting cast.

In our recent interview with iconic producer Jerry Bruckheimer, he commented on how Young Woman is the highest-testing movie he's done to date. No surprise there. In addition to the stacked cast and inspiring story, this new offering from director Joachim Rønning (Tron: Ares) — working off Jeff Nathanson's script that was adapted from Glenn Stout's acclaimed book about Ederle — is also just purely entertaining from start to finish. Its quick pacing refuses to let you step away for a bathroom break, with exciting story developments at every little turn. Just you wait.

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It starts with young Trudy, when her life was threatened by illness before swimming even entered the picture. Years later, Ridley is now portraying the icon, swimming along the Brooklyn pier despite her dad Henry's (Kim Bodnia) perpetual disapproval. Anyone familiar with AMC's Emmy-winning series Killing Eve will surely enjoy seeing Bodnia in a more likable role here, though his stiff-dad antics might just make you eye-roll right alongside Henry's wife, Gertrud (the fantastic Jeanette Hain). Gertrude will stop at nothing to raise the funds necessary to see that her daughters Trudy and Margaret (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) can pursue their dreams of diving into the water and swimming alongside the men in this patriarchal society.

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Stephen Graham and a Great Supporting Cast

Trudy starts to make a name for herself and ultimately weed out the bad eggs — AKA the men working with the swimming association, James Sullivan (Glenn Fleshler) and coach Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston), who act like they want her to succeed, but really don't. She soon crosses paths with the "good eggs" — fellow swimmer Ishak (the excellent Alexander Karim), who's also trying to cross the English Channel single-handedly, and a veteran swimmer who's already done it himself, played to perfection by Stephen Graham.

Folks will recognize Graham from grittier projects like The Irishman and Boardwalk Empire, but he's also dabbled in kid-friendly projects like Netflix's Matilda musical. And in the PG-rated Young Woman, he's a knockout as his wildcard character takes an interest in Ederle's seemingly impossible dream. Wait for a show-stopper of a sequence involving Ederle coming face to face with a swarm of jellyfish — and the tough advice Graham offers her along the way — that will simply stick with you.

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Daisy Ridley and Gertrude Ederle Inspire Us to Swim Through Adversity

Earlier in the film, another knockout performance is Ederle's first coach, Lottie, played by Fleabag standout Sian Clifford. Here she's also donning a Brooklyn accent, and her dynamic as a hardnosed but uplifting coach opposite Ridley will inspire dreamers and budding athletes everywhere. And speaking of, Ridley continues to prove herself as a leading lady in Hollywood who won't just be remembered as a Star Wars actress. Sure, she'll appear in at least one more Lucasfilm project, but Young Woman and the Sea makes clear that she can tackle a wide range of commanding roles.

We could go on all day about how, despite its traditional and sentimental approach, Young Woman can motivate the masses to put down their TV remotes and get out there to pursue their dreams. Don't be surprised if this film ultimately gets screened in classrooms for years to come. "See, kids? This is what you can do if you follow your heart and never give up, despite the odds."

From Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Young Woman and the Sea will be released in theaters Friday, May 31.