The Boys in the Boat

Living out of a dilapidated old car on a piece of waste ground in a suburb of Seattle, Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) travels each day to the University of Washington where he studies engineering. Using newspapers to stop-up the holes in his boots, we learn quickly that he's pretty poverty stricken and when told he has to fund the second half of his semester, is facing quite a challenge. Luckily, his pal Roger Morris (Sam Strike) discovers that getting a spot on the rowing team would get them both a job and a bed. To the try-outs they go, but they don't expect virtually everyone else to be there too! A tough series of rigorous training exercises ensue and thanks to a developing relationship with boat-builder George Pocock (Peter Guinness) he act...

A pretty standard sports biopic. It successfully tells a feel-good underdog story.

Events do meander in parts, but for the vast majority it's a solid watch. Callum Turner is, as you'd expect given he's the main character, the film's standout, I enjoyed his performance. Joel Edgerton is good too, as is Hadley Robinson in a small role. I also dug the score used throughout, at plenty of moments I could feel myself appreciating Alexandre Desplat's work.

One thing, and the only thing if I'm honest, that I didn't like was how the film uses Adolf Hitler at the end. It just felt needless, especially as they overshow him reacting to the rowing like 4 or 5 times in a short period. Then he walks offscreen in a down-on-his-luck movie baddie sorta...

When it comes to underdog stories, there are offerings that are decidedly inspirational and those that are riddled with clichés. As for the latest in this genre from director George Clooney, the film falls squarely in the latter category. Although capably made for the most part, this fact-based account about the 1936 US Olympic gold medal-winning eight-man rowing team is positively rife with shopworn predictable sports story tropes, nearly all of which can be handily spotted from a mile away. While the period piece production values and cinematography are generally solid, much of the rest of the picture is about as pedestrian as one can get, from the screenplay to the narrative to the performances. The release also features some unusual cam...

A well made period piece. Near total absence of woke themes and perversions. Bravo George Clooney!!