Netflix has now come up with an amazing movie The Tinder Swindler that can be your next watch for this weekend. The movie is a crime thriller that will cater to your cravings for watching something that is thrilling and at the same time is relatable. But before you invest your precious time into this movie The Tinder Swindler, we are here with its honest review to save your time. So, without wasting much time let’s dive deep into this blog and find out if The Tinder Swindler is worth watching or is just a movie to swindle its viewers!
The Tinder Swindler- A Review
Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler is consistently thrilling and surprisingly empowering, telling the almost unbelievable story of three women who went on a dating app, as the name of the movie suggests, in search of Prince Charming. But they end up only falling for someone who is just like Bunty Chor from Oye Lucky! Instead, you’re lucky, Oye! The Tinder Swindler, directed by Felicity Morris is structured in such a way that curveballs keep coming at you until the very end. It is the kind of film that, ironically, will force you to go online and engage in a discussion about it with complete strangers the very next moment after you’ve finished watching it.
Cecilie, a 20-year-old Norwegian woman, was drawn to the world of online dating because she had a similar desire in her heart—to feel connected to another person. She refers to herself as a Tinder expert in the film, and she blushes slightly when she says she’s matched with over 1000 people on the app. Simon Leviev, an entrepreneur, was one of them. His profile didn’t raise any red flags, but it did appear as if he was bragging about his wealth and jet-setting lifestyle.
Cecilie did what any sane person would do and looked up his name on the internet. He checked out, much to her delight (and relief). They decided to have coffee together. He courted her for the next month as if courtship itself was about to become obsolete. He took her to fancy dinners, flew her to wherever he was in Europe at the time, and seduced her into falling in love with him in a methodical manner.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he asked for money. His ‘enemies’ were on the hunt for him and wanted him dead. This is precisely the point at which you and I would notice red flags. Cecilie, on the other hand, did not. And there isn’t anything we can do about it. Although hindsight is a luxury, keep in mind that Cecilie was a woman in love. She also knew she was dealing with a seasoned criminal. Simon had pulled similar con jobs all over Europe, possibly with dozens upon dozens of women (three of whom appear in the film), and had stolen an estimated $10 million from them. What is it for? to live a happy life
This is the story’s cruel irony. Simon’s alleged crimes were not motivated by any personal motives. He went about his cons in a clinical manner, driven by a pathological desire to get his way at any cost (human or otherwise). Bart Layton is one of the executive producers on the film, which comes as no surprise. Layton is best known for his 2012 docudrama The Imposter, about one of the most notorious con artists of the twenty-first century. The film told the story of Frédéric Bourdin, a French confidence trickster who impersonated a missing American boy and actually moved in with his ‘family’ after being ‘found.’
The Tinder Swindler has a scandalous quality to it, but it shares the same tone and style as other blockbuster Netflix documentaries like Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and The Legend of Cocaine Island. The Tinder Swindler has a scandalous quality to it, but it shares the same tone and style as other blockbuster Netflix documentaries like Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and The Legend of Cocaine Island. The women liken their situation to being in a movie at various points. Cecilie describes her first meeting with Simon as “romantic comedy material.” Another of his ‘victims,’ Ayleen, later said she felt like she was in a horror movie when she realized she’d been deceived.
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What distinguishes The Tinder Swindler from your average true crime documentary of the week is its admirable commitment to not be ambivalent about the situation. We don’t need to be reminded how many true crime documentaries focus on crimes (mostly) committed against women. Where a lesser film would have simply told the story in a sleazy manner, perhaps even with a victim-blaming tone, The Tinder Swindler flips the script and focuses on the angle of human interest at the heart of this terrible crime story. It transforms from a by-the-numbers thriller to a feminist revenge saga in its final moments.
It’s also noteworthy that, despite having their faith in decency systematically undermined by a conman, the women remain idealistic about bringing him to justice. They go to the press, believing that by telling their story to the world, they will be able to affect change. And the film is edited in such a way that it appears to have happened. The Tinder Swindler is a rare true crime film in which the police, or any law enforcement agency, plays a minor role. Rather, it gives journalists a well-deserved break.
In the third act, a group of three reporters arrives at Simon’s parents’ home in Tel Aviv and confronts his mother about his crimes, which is a particularly gripping sequence. The movie is unlikely to have an impact on Match Group stock, but it will undoubtedly spark some interesting online discussion in the coming weeks, perhaps even on Tinder.
