Editor's Note: The Tinder Swindler's run as the #1 most watched Netflix movie is over, as the new Netflix movie from Tyler Perry takes the slot.
Everyone is talking about the latest true crime documentary on Netflix. Rather than focusing on the outrageous world of big cat breeding, this new original movie centres on a con artist using a popular dating app to trick multiple women into funding his lavish lifestyle.
Called The Tinder Swindler, the film comes from the same team behind 2019’s limited series Don’t F**k with Cats and it's already receiving seriously high praise. The film currently holds an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s not just the critics who are loving this constantly twisting tale either.
After releasing last week, the film rocketed up Netflix’s most watched list and is currently the most watched movie on the platform (via Top 10 Netflix). Over the last seven days it’s racked up over 45.8 million viewing hours. So, it’s fair to say the streamer definitely has another true crime hit on its hands.
The documentary tells the true story of Simon Leviev, an Israeli man who travelled across Europe convincing young women to fall in love with him before swindling them for outrageous sums of money. The movie specifically focused on a trio of his victims who grouped together to outcon the conman.
With its intriguing premise, and a couple of unexpected twists in the tale, it’s not surprising that viewers are devouring the movie in huge numbers. The film also comments on modern dating culture, and the dangers of taking everything you see online at face value. In fact, after watching The Tinder Swindler you might just find yourself purging all the dating apps from your devices.
If you’ve already watched the film and want to dig even deeper, Netflix has released a three-part podcast series that reveals how the documentary was made and further explores the crimes of Simon Leviev. Variety is also reporting that Netflix is planning to adapt the doc into a movie, so we may not have seen the last of The Tinder Swindler on the streaming service.
We certainly don’t expect The Tinder Swindler to be the only Netflix original in 2022 that has the internet abuzz. With Stranger Things season 4 and Bridgerton season 2 expected in the coming months, Netflix is likely to dominate the streaming conversation plenty this year. Not to mention, there will almost certainly be a slew of additional hits that nobody sees coming. (It's one of the reasons Netflix doesn't actually have a price hike problem, even as its monthly rate goes up.)
In the meantime, if you need another true crime fix asap, make sure to watch Inventing Anna, one of the new movies and shows to watch this weekend. The series definitely looks like it’ll share some DNA with The Tinder Swindler as it focuses on a young woman who convinces the New York elite into believing she is a German heiress. Spoilers: she’s not.
In other streaming news, Netflix is about to lose its entire suite of Marvel shows. And make sure you check out our 11 new shows and movies to watch this weekend on Netflix, HBO Max and more. As for what's next to watch on Netflix, we've got the Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy Netflix release date and all the info about the documentary series about the divisive musician.
