A League of Their Own, Million Dollar Baby, Bend It Like Beckham. If you were asked to think of female-centric sports movies that broke through the box office competition to become hits, those are probably the ones that come to mind. Could Disney, a studio that has produced countless family-friendly sports hits (The Mighty Ducks, Cool Runnings, Remember the Titans, The Rookie, Miracle, Glory Road, etc…), add a title to that short list? We may soon find out with the May 31st release of Young Woman and the Sea, a film that is certainly good enough to be on a list with A League of Their Own as one of the best sports films of all time, period.
(Disney)
The 1920s may be roaring, but they’re not as loud for Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley, Rey in the Star Wars franchise), the daughter of immigrant parents in New York City. Alongside her sister and best friend Meg (Tilda Cobham-Harvey, I Am Woman), Trudy’s childhood love of swimming leads her to Olympic victory in 1924, but then it’s back to reality – an arranged marriage to an immigrant butcher. Trudy wants more out of life, and she isn’t ready to hang up her swimsuit just yet, so she sets her sights on a new dream – becoming the first woman to swim the English Channel successfully.
Young Woman and the Sea is the kind of underdog story that audiences love rooting for. I experienced the film on the big screen in an early preview aboard a Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise, where the enthusiastic audience of Disney fans greeted it with gasps and cheers at all the appropriate moments. Daisy Ridley is incredible in this role, instantly likable as always, and easy to root for. Disney’s initial plans for the film were for it to be direct-to-streaming, but if you love the communal nature of the moviegoing experience, this is a film that is aided by the shared experience. Consider it like going to a sports bar to watch a game, and getting to share the thrill of the experience with others. Although the production qualities are also worth experiencing the film on the biggest screen possible.
Daisy Ridley is joined by a wonderful supporting cast, led by her on-screen parents, Henry (Kim Bodnia, Killing Eve) and Gertrude (Jeanette Hain, The Reader). They both seem stern and cold at times, but there’s a subtlety to each performance that shows evolution and growth as the story unfolds. Jeanette, in particular, gets a lot of laughs through her no-nonsense German approach to motherhood. Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham, Rocketman) is another scene-stealing character, the second man to cross the English Channel, and an eccentric recluse who unexpectedly comes to Trudy’s aide. And in throwback Disney fashion, the picture even has a villain in the form of coach Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston, The Leftovers), who selfishly wants Trudy to fail.
(Elena Nenkova/Disney)
Young Woman and the Sea leaves viewers feeling elated but also exists to spark conversations. In the century since, much has changed, but we still have far to go. But with an athlete like Caitlin Clark dominating headlines and expanding viewership of WNBA games, Young Woman and the Sea also feels like it arrives at the exact right moment to make sure history doesn’t forget today’s trailblazers the way the world forgot Trudy Eberle, a wrong that is righted with this film.
I give Young Woman and the Sea 5 out of 5 rounds of “Ain't We Got Fun.”
Young Woman and the Sea arrives in select theaters on May 31st.