Summary

• Young Woman and the Sea is a critical success with a solid 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and a high audience score.
• Jerry Bruckheimer should focus on uplifting sports films like Young Woman and the Sea.
• Bruckheimer's past success with sports dramas like the Titans and Glory Road showcase his keen eye for inspiring stories.

Young Woman and the Sea's real-life characters, the film is a solid little adaptation of an uplifting true story.

The film is just one of the several movies Jerry Bruckheimer has produced in the last year alone, actively competing against other Bruckheimer-produced movies like Bad Boys For Life at the box office. However, the critical appreciation that Young Woman and the Sea has garnered highlights how good Bruckheimer is at identifying and producing films of that caliber. The strong audience and critical reception to Young Woman and the Sea and its uplifting ending highlights some of Bruckheimer's most uplifting films, and why he should focus more on those kinds of films going forward.

Young Woman And The Sea Is One Of Jerry Bruckheimer's Best Recent Films

The Positive Reception To Young Woman And The Sea Led To Its Theatrical Release

Young Woman and the Sea highlights the kind of versatility Jerry Bruckheimer has developed as a film producer, and proves Bruckheimer should be putting more of his focus on sports films. For decades, Bruckheimer has been one of the film industry's most illustrious producers. In 2024 alone, he has produced four different films with four different studios: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare with Lionsgate, Bad Boys: Ride or Die with Sony, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F with Paramount, and Young Woman and the Sea with Disney.

Young Woman and the Sea stands out, however. At the time of this writing, the film has earned a solid 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, highlighting its critical strength. It's also garnered a 98% audience score on the site. As reported by Screen Rant, Bruckheimer himself noted that the film is the highest-tested film in his lengthy career, underscoring how well it connects with audiences. This is what prompted Disney to release the film theatrically instead of sending it straight to the Disney+ streaming service. It shouldn't come as a surprise though, given Bruckheimer's past sports films.

Jerry Bruckheimer Only Has Three Sports Movies (But They're All Great)

Each Of Bruckheimer's Sports Films Share Some Core Creative DNA

Jerry Bruckheimer has produced dozens of films, but has only been involved with three sports movies. All of them are uplifting stories based on real events, and all of them were successful. Young Woman and the Sea has received critical accolades, making it one of the better reviewed films among Bruckheimer's recent releases. 2006's Glory Road — which starred Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, and Jon Voight and focused on the first all-black starting lineup in NCAA basketball — wasn't as well-recieved but still performed well with audiences. The film was later nominated for the Humanitas Prize.

Bruckheimer's earlier sports film, 2000's the Titans, was decried by some critics for its predictable nature and cheesy elements, but was still appraised for its performances and craft. The film ended up becoming a major financial hit for Disney, grossing over $136 million off of a $30 million budget. The film also earned a rare A+ audience score by CinemaScore, as reported by The Wrap. Bruckheimer's eye for sports stories have resulted in three solid releases for Disney, highlighting a keen eye for the kind of sports movies that connect with audiences.

Why Jerry Bruckheimer Needs To Make More Sports Movies

Jerry Bruckheimer has produced all sorts of films, ranging from action movies and adventure epics to tight thrillers and family films. However, his success as a producer on sports films makes his relatively sparse sports catalog all the more surprising. While all three films are formulaic, they're also well-executed and use true stories to create uplifiting movies. Bruckheimer's career has allowed him to work with many of Hollywood's best actors, meaning he attracts strong talent to the movies he works on. This is one of the best strengths to his sports films, as they boast impressive performances from their stars.

Jerry Bruckheimer should focus more on sports films. While he has plenty of action movies under his belt (including three in 2024 alone), his sports dramas have been solid entries to a genre that's felt underserved in recent years. Even if Young Woman and the Sea's limited theatrical release doesn't break the bank, the strong audience score and critical reception suggests it'll be a solid addition to Disney's recent releases. In an era where critics bemoan the lack of mid-budget dramas, Young Woman and the Sea highlights how they still work, and why they should become a focus for the legendary producer.

Source: Screen Rant, The Wrap