Young Woman and the Sea joins the pantheon of Disney’s finest live-action sports dramas
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Disney’s live-action sports dramas used to be a much bigger deal at the box office and in audience’s appreciation. If you’re of a certain age, movies like Cool Runnings (1993) and Iron Will (1994) carry special meaning, and if you’re slightly younger, movies like Remember the Titans (2000), The Rookie (2002), and Miracle (2004) may carry similar weight. These movies share specific characteristics: based on true stories, the protagonists are underdogs, more than a few training montages, and surface-level commentary on socio-political topics. Disney’s latest, Young Woman and the Sea, contains all the above facets and confidently carries the torch forward for the sub-genre. Director Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) knows how and when to deploy the emotional and feminist beats of the story, so the film never feels overly stuffed or preachy. Like the great Disney live-action sports dramas that have come before it, Young Woman and the Sea is a spirited and emotional tale that is perfect for viewers of all ages.
Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: Episode VII-IX) stars as Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle, the daughter of German immigrants living in post-WWI New York City, who becomes an American swimming champion and the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel. Whether by choice or due to a lack of studio interest, Ridley hasn’t been offered any flashy roles since her third and final (for now) performance as Rey in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Young Woman and the Sea is a perfect star vehicle for her, proving once again that she has the emotional and physical gravitas to charm audiences and carry the weight of a dramatic story on her shoulders. In Young Woman and the Sea, she is surrounded by an impressive supporting cast to round out the real-life character portrayals, including Christopher Eccleston as Scottish swimmer and Trudy’s coach, Jabez Wolffe, and Stephen Graham as the accomplished English Channel swimmer, Bill Burgess. Trudy’s parents and older sister make up the emotional glue of the narrative, and their character arcs reflect early 20th century gender dynamics. The talented actors in the Ederle family roles give powerful and often humorous performances with their limited screen time.
Young Woman and the Sea works the same way most effective sports dramas work, through honest (often clichéd) dialogue, solid period piece craftsmanship, and a rousing third act. The film also features short expository scenes and a pleasurable pace that breezes through its over two hour running time. The costumes and sets are commendable, even if they have that un-grimy Disney “sheen” to them, managing to transport the action believably into the 1920s. True stories like Gertrude Ederle’s are “made” for the movies, but like all adaptations, require the creative team to tweak or fabricate a detail here and there in order to deliver an exciting cinematic experience. Trudy’s swim across the English Channel is exhilarating and wondrous, as evidenced by the applause from my screening’s audience. The best Disney sports dramas, like Young Woman and the Sea, feature a plethora of period piece scenes and real world factoids that can, and should, easily spark audience interest in researching the topics further. And hopefully Young Woman and the Sea also sparks more studio interest in casting Ridley in bigger films.
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Young Woman and the Sea opens in theaters on Friday, May 31st.
