The Boys in the Boat: Film Review
George Clooney is back with his latest directorial feature, The Boys in the Boat, which tells a rousing underdog story.
The biographical sports drama follows the University of Washington rowing team during its quest to compete at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Germany. The story is told through the eyes of Joe Rantz (Callum Turner), who was abandoned by his family when he was 14 and needs the rowing money to pay for his tuition.
Clooney’s movie feels very old-fashioned and traditional – perhaps he did this on purpose to reflect the era in which this is set. The stakes are low, the outcome is predictable and the beats are familiar. While he could have done more to make his movie stand out, his approach worked just fine and he delivered a solid inspirational tale.
Most people can’t resist an underdog story and I’m definitely one of them. The University of Washington team doesn’t have much money compared to its wealthy rivals in California and on the East Coast. Because of this, they are never expected to win their races over their privileged counterparts. You can’t help but get invested in their story and you might even find yourself cheering them on during the exciting races.
However, I did have an issue with Mark L. Smith‘s screenplay, which is based on Daniel James Brown‘s 2013 non-fiction book of the same name. Some lines of dialogue simply didn’t work for me, particularly a corny clanger right at the very end. In fact, the opening and closing scenes of an old Rantz were not necessary at all.
Turner gave a solid performance as Rantz but my favourite was Joel Edgerton as the team’s coach Al Ulbrickson. He began as a hard-nosed, stressed-out coach but warmed up as the story progressed and it was satisfying just to see him smile and lighten up! I also liked the team’s talented coxswain Bobby Moch (Luke Slattery), who yelled at them through a cone attached to his mouth, and the camaraderie between all the boys was lovely to watch.
The Boys in the Boat tells the underdog sports story conventionally but that’s not necessarily a bad thing – I still enjoyed this crowd-pleasing movie.
In cinemas Friday 12th January