User reviews

Terrible title aside - I'm really happy to see Disney making this type of movie again! Young Woman and the Sea could have been made at basically any point in the last 50-60 years exactly as is, and that's a compliment. The kind of well-made, heartfelt "family entertainment" that studios used to release regularly but not so much anymore. While I wish it got a wide theatrical release (it deserves to), I'm still happy I got to enjoy this wonderful and inspirational film! Quite shocked by how much I was pulled in by Young Woman and the Sea. Daisy Ridley's endearing performance as Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, is a constant delight. Possibly my favorite performance from her yet. But the real star is Amelia Warner's stirring score that gives this cliched but inspiring true sports story its heart and vigor. There's nothing revelatory here but as far as swimming biopics go, I at least found it to be an enjoyable watch!

In a logical, reasoned sense I know that Young Woman & The Sea is not a 9/10 star film. It is a Disney-fied family drama that sometimes features cringe-worthy dialogue or tropes. But if the purpose of the cinematic experience is to tug at the heartstrings and invoke strong emotional reactions, one almost cannot be helped to be sucked into the flick.

For a very basic overview, Young Woman & The Sea tells the story of Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley), a rare female swimmer in 1920s New York who would first represent her country in the Olympics and then attempt to be the first woman to swim the English Channel. Inspired by sister Margaret (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), mother Gertrude (Jeanette Hain), and pushed by coach Lottie Epstein (Sian Clifford), Trudy must not only show her physical aquatic prowess but also overcome the sexism of the times by handler Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston) and even father Henry (Kim Bodnia).

The biggest thing Young Woman has going for it is that it is hitting cinemas at an absolute perfect time, what with Caitlin Clark (and others) inspiring a wave of appreciation for female stories revolving around sports. That isn't to minimize the film's ability to invoke emotion, however, as director Joachim Ronning and writer Jeff Nathanson craft a solid narrative here. It is well-shot (the swimming scenes are a delight), full of forward momentum, and consistently shows the obstacles placed in young Trudy's path simply by dint of her gender and how she hurdles practically all of them.

Ridley is also perfect for the lead role, channeling her Star Wars success nicely here. For Young Woman to work, audiences need to be fully emotionally invested in Trudy's struggles and triumphs, and Ridley has no trouble getting those emotions across.

Going into the movie, I was worried it would be a schmaltzy Disney family flick-and it certain ways it very much is. This isn't a hard-hitting, in-the-weeds, serious prestige drama. While it covers all the requisite issues Trudy's story entails, it does so with a coat of varnish to make it enjoyable for all audiences.

But in the final reckoning, other than a few cringe-worthy dialogue moments, Young Woman & the Sea was so emotional and inspirational that it consistently won me over-especially the final act (and even closing credits) that reference the real-life Trudy to cement the story's grounded nature. Such investment makes it hard to dislike this film.

Went into this feeling a bit lukewarm to be honest. Expecting a schmaltzy Disney production looking to over eagerly tug at viewers heart strings. Well, heart strings were indeed plucked, like an old second hand guitar. But it was done earnestly and at no point do you feel you are being emotionally played with.

"based on a true story", it announces from the first screen, so those objecting to how far it was from the truth, get back in your box. After googling Gertrude Ederle, this viewer did not feel in an way duped by the dramatization presented of her story.

Not much to say regarding the script, production, acting etc, other than I for one found nothing to criticize, it was just so good in all respects. Slightly preachy in regards to misogyny, women's rights?, of course it is, it was the 1920s, yet a century later there are some in the USA that would have the clocks rolled back in that regard. Which is why it is a shame that this movie is not getting a wider release.

Watch it with family for a great shared occasion, or alone if you need inspiration, or with a bunch of mates...don't worry, if you feel a tear coming on, pretend you have something in your eye.

This inspiring story follows the journey of a champion, a woman who defied the odds from a young age. Her story is a testament to courage, tenacity, and a deep love for water and life. Watching her compete is truly exhilarating, and her flawless American accent only adds to her charm. But it is her German mother who truly shines as a force to be reckoned with, showing where her daughter's indomitable spirit comes from. This story is a reminder of how far women have come and the incredible things we can achieve. It is a tale that every young girl should watch to be inspired to reach for their dreams. I am truly moved by this story and will be sharing it with every woman I know, including my children, to show them the power of perseverance and determination.

Think of a list of movies coming out nowadays that are perfectly family friendly, make a strong point, have almost universal emotional appeal, and are actually good. It's not a long list, but this movie is surely on it.

The story may seem formulaic at first, but that formula works wonders for a reason. The heart of this movie bleeds through its rich emotion and clever direction. The ensemble cast provide a strong blend of timely humor, intense rigidity, and admirable courage.

Chiefly, Daisy Ridley's performance is nothing short of masterful.

This movie might have suffered from a bad marketing strategy as I fear not many will see it for lack of knowledge of its existence. What a shame.

This movie is everything you want in a movie. Moving, engaging, well paced, funny, meaningful, important, and impactful. What a great, great movie.

I managed to catch Young Woman and the Sea during its cinema run and I have to say I thought it was a great film. Daisy Ridley was excellent as Trudy Ederle and really proved herself as a first rate actress in this film. The film itself felt like a rarity in today's landscape of overly CGI-d superheroes and sci-fis. This was a good old fashioned story, well told with great actors, nice cinematography and a strong script. That being said, I have to say that the British equivalent, an indie titled, Vindication Swim, was the better of the two Channel swimming films released this year. That one takes place a year after Trudy's swim and is based on the first British woman to swim the Channel, Mercedes Gleitze. I felt the swimming sequences were far more varied and visually spectacular in what I assume was a much lower budget film than this outing by Disney. Likewise I feel that story had more to it in terms of the struggle faced by its protagonist (interestingly both women are of German heritage and a good deal of the story is about them proving themselves to being American and British respectively). That being said Young Woman the and Sea is by no means a bad film. Far from it, it is actually excellent, especially in the rousing climactic sequence. I really do hope Disney continues to make films like this one.

This movie was unbelievably good and I cried through the entire last 30 min . The story is one of perseverance and guts , sacrifice and valor and of the power of allowing yourself to be different and fight .

First of all I cannot believe I had never heard this story before - I am a HUGE sports fan and this has slipped through the cracks . The story sticks very closely to truth with some artistic liberties taken but for the most part - it remains true to the original . The message and feeling and moral is true and the feeling is true . It is so easy to forget how much sacrifice and drive and challenging of society went into the opportunities that we as women and girls have today in sports because of women like this and she was able to do it because of the strong women around her - this movie made me thankful and humble .

The casting was awesome and so was the character development . Loved the whole family and you hated the "villains " the chemistry between sisters and that bond really made the movie and Ridley was great . Both "Eppy" and Trudy's mom were hard core women and then were courageous and authentic .

The best scene in the movie involves Meg helping Trudy and realizing not every dream is the same and you can live yours and accept life happily and also support those around you .

My only complaint comes in that it felt a bit ... juvenile ? Low production quality ? Not the best script writing / dialogue specifically ? I am not sure but I loved it regardless and will watch it again and again.

Swim towards the light and remember " there's no place like sports "

Ridley does a phenomenal job representing Trudy Ederly, a passionate young woman determined to swim, regardless of what the world (mostly men) say. Her determination and resilience is well played throughout the story, sometimes in tearjerking scenes of struggle, other times in quiet moments of stubbornness and strength. Props to the cast for a stout performance all around.

That being said, I couldn't love this movie and felt repeatedly taken out of the moment by the relentless preachy nature of the writing and the stereotypical male characters. While the key component of this story is a woman overcoming physical and cultural obstacles to perform incredible feats of athleticism, the male characters are often so exaggerated in their misogyny and incredulity that I often felt I couldn't relate to any of the males. They were either so unbelievably simple and played up for comic effect (the suitors the father brings the girls), unjustifiably rude, even given the cultural norms of the time, bombastically obstinate (the father) or they were outright malicious. This treads far beyond the facts of the true story of Trudy, making grand presumptions about how hated she was by the men of her time.

Don't get me wrong, she was dealing with sexism and cultural inequality, and the film NEEDED that to cut through to give power to the character arc of Trudy, which I understood. But the authenticity and nuance which shines through in Ridley's performance is often overshadowed by single-dimensional, poorly written male characters with little or no redeeming quality.

I loved watching her journey and I'd watch it again, but hated how the males were misrepresented and maligned consistently throughout the film.

I left the theater thinking Young Woman and the Sea will win best picture. Either the story of Gertrude Ederle is just that good, or the director has created a masterpiece, lightning in the bottle, whatever you want to call it. Daisy Ridley brings us a brave, if not slightly insane, young woman who through circumstance, bad luck, and bad people, managed to persevere. In a way, it was like the movie Gravity, but in 1926 and out at sea; and Gertrude also had to deal with the sexism of the time. A line out of the movie, "I'm saving up for a telephone." When asked why, he answered, "I don't know. I just want one." So old-timey yet very much today. Everything this movie did, worked.

A standard sports biographical story that is filled with cliches, yet, strives with strong waves with a wonderful performance from Daisy Ridley.

Sports biographical picks have become tame and shallow that its cliches and predictableness are apparently clear from the start. Despite this narrative about Gertrude Ederle being filled with Disney tropes and emotions, its solid atmosphere, gorgeous camerawork, musical score, and strong performances helped keep the tides high and waving with some intense swimming sequences and atmospheres explored. Including some solid strong directions on how its themes, emotions, and atmospheres were approached from filmmaker Joachim Rønning.

Ridley deserves a second chance as she is a pretty good actress, it's unfortunately how the latest Star Wars installment had done her dirty and overshadowed some of the good works she's been in. Nevertheless, a solid sports biographical pick is in the house and I'm happy to see Ridley is still being given opportunities to show her talents. Honestly, one of the better movies made by Disney recently.

This is one of those rare cases of a film so well written and directed that you get drawn to being emotionally invested in the outcome even though, with it being a true story, you know how it ends before the film even starts.

Whilst I didn't know about Trudy Ederle before the film came out, and I'm sure the writers have taken a few liberties with all the facts for dramatic purposes, the central theme remains faithful. That is a talented woman who had to overcome the inherent bias of women in sport to achieve her ultimate success. And this is where the film hits all the right notes building up that picture of her fight to be allowed to swim, to be allowed to attempts tje channel swim and to ultimately succeed.

The film also benefits from a great cast, with great performances. Stephen Graham and Kim Bodnia are as reliable as ever, Jeanette Hain, Sian Clifford and Tilda Cobham-Hervey put in great supporting performances as mother, trainer and sister respectively. However, this for me is Daisy Ridley's finest performance to date and marks her out as a serious dramatic actress where she can finally shake off the threat of only being remembered as Rey from the SW franchise.

It's a simple story, told in a very understated way and that is its strength. The story sells itself and the director just shines light on it. Very well done.

An emotional film, but full of cliches. I fast forwarded about 50 minutes when it got too sugar sweet for my taste. Most reviewers like the acting of Daisy Ridley and I agree, but the casting of Ridley for this role reminds me of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. Of course the first female swimmer accross the Channel must have been built like a nuclear submarine, and as the film shows the real Trudy Ederle afterwards she was indeed shaped like a tugboat. A young Drew Barrymore would have been much better. Same power jaw and eyes on fire.

Then it was too much fake obstacles, whimpy mother, stupid German father, and her male coach was just too much But anyway I don't regret watching the movie.

I enjoyed this movie and I recommend it to everybody who wants to enjoy 2h of a very very good movie. This is the story of Trudy, a woman who defied all boundaries to prove to the skeptics that she was chosen, gifted with the ability to swim as swiftly as a marlin. Trudy Ederle's persistence and determination became a testament to the heights a human being can reach. She battled the treacherous waters of the English Channel, overcoming not only the physical challenges but also the doubts of those who believed such a feat was beyond her capabilities. Through relentless training and an unyielding spirit, Trudy shattered records and made history, showing the world the true power of human perseverance and fortitude. Hero!

Daisy Ridley is exceptional in this true story of inspiration and single minded determination. Sure it isn't 100% accurate but no fiilm version of real life events ever is. It feels very authentic with the sets and the way it is filmed. There is no point of the film that ever dulls, even for a moment and I can't understand why this story hasn't been told before due to the phenomenal achievements of this woman in such a make dominated culture of the time.

Full marks to the rest of the cast for their part in this film. It's been a long time since I've seen a film that I wanted to watch again straight away.

On the face of it, it's a bit similar to last year's "Nyad", only I found this to be a more engaging depiction of the story of a young woman determined to struggle against not just the water, but of the societal limitations put upon her sex and assumed about her potential a mere century ago. As a young child, Trudy Ederle contracts measles. The doctor thinks that nothing can be done, but she has no intention of throwing in the towel yet and decides she'd rather have some cheese than a coffin! This illness is taking place against news of a maritime tragedy that saw many women killed. They were afraid to leave the burning ferry boat because they couldn't swim. Trudy wants to learn to swim, her mother wants her to learn to swim - but her father, an immigrant German butcher, is much more conformist. It's not right for women to swim! Now we get our first indication of the strength of mind of the women in this family as, sure enough, mother (Jeanette Hain) finds her and sister "Meg" (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) a women only swimming club run by "Lottie" (Sian Clifford) and next, after some seriously punishing training sessions, she (now Daisy Ridley) has her heart set on the Paris Olympiad. History takes over her story now as we follow this hugely inspirational person who sets out to prove that her sex need be no barrier to her abilities and that with the right support around her, she can accomplish just about anything. A combination of Ridley's enthusiastic and exhausting performance and a strong slew of supporting actors make this a genuinely quite poignant piece of cinema. Not only does it address issues of sexual repression, but also of racial and cultural attitudes that needed looking at from both within and without. Stephen Graham turns out well as the savvy coach Burgess and Kim Bidnia also strikes a fine balance between caring, fearing and inspiring as her father Henry. I am not really a fan of Christopher Eccleston, and his overly hammy depiction of Scotsman Jabez Wolffe didn't quite work for me, but this story is built well from the sand up by Joachim Rønning allowing us to feel some of the emotions running through the veins of this groundbreaking athlete and understand just quite why the public at the time cared, too.

I think this movie is fine. It reminds me of the film Nyad from last year but not as good. This film is a pretty by the book bio pic. Daisy Ridley is good in the lead role but doesn't bring anything to the table that makes the performance stand out. Ridley is endlessly likable as a person but doesn't have that leading lady charisma that her characters need. The film is very predictable and hits you over the head with its messaging. The movie also constantly repeats a song that Ridley's character sang as a child to the point that it gets annoying. It's competently made, well directed and has a decent, somewhat inspiring script. Even though it's not a perfect movie I do appreciate Disney making an original project like this in their regular live action division again.

At a time in America, the second decade of the 20th century, where women were not merely deemed second-class citizens but arguably also third-rate people. Trudy Ederle stood out. Despite her unfortunate encounter with the measles as a young girl in 1914, which led to partial hearing loss, she wanted to show how great a swimmer she could be. Against all odds, and against the brick wall that was male chauvinism, Trudy proved herself by being able to traverse the Hudson River from New York across to New Jersey in just a little under three hours. Then in 1926 she made a most incredible decision, one that even her German-born parents, let alone most of the public, thought was suicidal to say the very least: she wanted to swim the treacherous English Channel, from the Normandy Coast of France to Dover, England. A lot of male swimmers had tried the feat, but had failed, having battled against the nightmarish currents, the fog, sharks, and swarms of jellyfish. But on August 20, 1926, having failed once, Ederle vowed to try again. Her story has now been told in the Disney film YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA, based on the book of the same name by Glenn Stout

Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the Star Wars franchise films THE FORCE AWAKENS, THE LAST JEDI, and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, portrays Ederle as a determined and an exceptionally feisty young woman growing up in New York City with all odds completely stacked against her gender. But with the help of her sister (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and a disciplinarian of a swimming coach (Sian Clifford), she perseveres through a lot of physical and psychological pain, and the disdain of her parents. Ridley also, of course, must overcome the rampant sexism that ran through competitive sports in general, and American sports in particular, at that point in American history. Even more than that, the press in America, France, and England are exceptionally doubting Thomas's as to just how far she is willing to go, even after having only won a bronze medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The first attempt across, in July 926, goes absolutely haywire due to apparent sabotage on the part of former Channel swimmer Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham). Ridley gets only six miles across before fatigue sets in. Her determination, however, mixed in with a lot of understandable fear, propels her to do it again.

What could have been a fairly stereotypical Hollywood "feel good" and "against all the odds" film a la ROCKY, is clearly given a lot of weight due to the brilliant, heartwarming, portrayal that Ridley gives as Trudy. She is even seen fit to throw even her parents, and the rest of a doubting New York City public, into a tizzy with her goofing-off version of the song "Ain't W e Got Fun". Since this is based on a true story that the public really didn't know that well, it is easier for YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA to sustain its suspense. Even so, however, like more than a few history-based films, like APOLLO 13, ALL THE PRESIDENT"S MEN, and THE POST, the eventual outcome is gratifying for how it progresses towards its finish. Ridley's biggest danger, after all the chauvinism, the doubters, and the rest on land, is having to swim right through a horrible swarm of jellyfish at the halfway point of her swim, which is fairly harrowing in and of itself. Even if the depiction of Ridley being almost at the end of her physical rope as the English coastline comes within sight can be seen as a bit of a cliché, it nevertheless remains true to the story through and through.

Joachim Ronning, a Norwegian known for films like 2017's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES and 2018's MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL, directs YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA with a great amount of panache, aided and abetted by the script from Jeff Nathanson, who worked with Steven Spielberg on CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and THE TERMINAL. Trudy's harrowing journey is also depicted with a good feel for the inherent human drama of the story. It is, however, Ridley, whose performance as Trudy is truly one of the greatest for any actress of recent times, matching Sandra Bullock's in GRAVITY and Rachel Zegler's in Spielberg's 2021 re-imagining of WEST SIDE STORY. For that reason alone (but also for many more), YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA must rank as one of the best films of 2024.

This film gets a '10' from me.

The old formula for inspirational cinema is of course "corny" after 100 years or so, but Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney prove it still works, thanks to the fine performances of a cast led by and dominated by Daisy Ridley. She's the heir apparent, right down to a winning smile, as Britain's fairest young actress since Keira Knightley.

The schmaltz content of the early reels is a bit much, but helps set the stage for Gertrude Ederle's historic breakthrough nearly a 100 years ago swimming the English Channel in record time. The triumph for women is underscored here by the parallel with her sister who was unable to break out of the patriarchy that doomed women of the time to subservience and stifled their dreams. It's a timely message today with Kamala Harris poised for yet another breakthrough. And of course, Hollywood's competing movie in this genre Nyad delivers a similar message regarding an old(er) woman and the sea.

The Norwegian director has made Disney blockbusters previously, so I wasn't surprised by the end credits listing "a crew of thousands", but I do wonder why it takes so much in the way of SPFX and endless technicians, studio staff and others to make a motion picture (for theaters or streaming or whatever) these days.

Based on a true story, this above-average geneder-bender holds the attention nicely through a runtime that goes a whisker over two hours. Some critics have compared it to SEABiSCUIT 2003 - a film that made my list of all-time greats -- but that comparison is a tad generous. The arc is predictable and the technicals are solid. Credit to Daisy Ridley for projecting a commanding presence throughout the film. To her credit, the viewer never once doubts that she can do whatever she says she can. Not a simple acomlishment! A hidden irony here is that, to do a film on gender rights, the Disney Studio is impliedly acknowledging that that there are two to begin with -- a concept almost certainly distressing to upper management. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I was shocked after watching it. Such a beautiful film. The cast is exceptional and so is the storytelling. Truly a hidden gem. Very will written and directed. A true story told well by Disney is very rare. No politics involved and no agenda just a true heartwarming story. I loved the film. It's beautiful in every way. Daisy Ridley is truly a gifted actress. All that hate from Star Wars is undone by this film. A strong female character done right. I recommend this film to everyone to watch as it is emotional and heartwarming but also quite sad at times. I believe this should at least be nominated for best picture at the golden globes and best actress for Ridley.

This is a sports biopic of swimmer Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley). She is born in 1905 to a German immigrant family in New York City. She and older sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) want to swim, but good girls are not supposed to swim at this time. She excels and gets invited to the 1924 Paris Olympics. It goes poorly and her family pressures her to quit. She sets out to swim the English Channel. Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham) is the second man to achieve the feat.

This is a very standard old fashion inspirational sports movie. It follows the formula well with some nice touches. Daisy Ridley is in her comfort zone from Rey to this. She is the plucky underdog pretty skinny girl. It's fine for this film, but it is limiting her. For example, she can be insistent, but she cannot be the vociferous agitator. That would have put off some people. Also, the closing credit has the real Trudy and she is built like a wrestler. She is not a skinny thing like Daisy Ridley. There are also other alterations like the fact that she did win an Olympic gold medal in the relay. That one surprised me a little although it would change the premise a little. The best aspect is the sisters' relationship. Ultimately, this is well-made and hits all the right notes.

Young Woman and the Sea is a true story of the first woman who broke down barriers and was first woman to swim the English Channel from France to England. I was unaware of this real life story before seeing the film. Daisy Ridley gives what I believe one of her finest performances of her amazing career. In fact she did most of her own stunts with swimming in the ocean for this film. Even at 2 hours this film swims by fast with a lot of cheering moments and beautiful scenery. I really hope to see more films with Daisy Ridley starring in them. Young Woman and the Sea gets a perfect 10 out of 10 with it's strong performances and wonderful storytelling.