Film Review: The Boys in the Boat

 

Sexuality/Nudity Acceptable

Violence Acceptable

Vulgarity Acceptable

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Acceptable

Sometimes a movie can simple, enjoyable, and uplifting without being world changing.  And that can be enough.  

That is the case with The Boys in the Boat.

During the Great Depression, Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) is young man in Washington state, living in a broken-down car in the corner of a shanty town.  He attends the University of Washington in hopes of becoming an engineer, but with his money running out, that dream is looking to end.  However, Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), the coach of the crew team, holds open tryouts.  Those who make it on the team get scholarships and jobs.  Joe, who has never rowed in his life, tries out and makes it onto the team with other young men.  Together, they struggle through adversity, not only on the river, but in life.  This all comes to a head as they attempt to qualify for the Olympics with the richer schools conspiring against them.

One of the things I really liked about The Boys in the Boat was that it felt like a throwback to classic sports movies of the era in which the movie takes place.  The characters aren't simplistic, but they are straightforward in a way that people in the movies used to be.  There is a quiet masculine dignity in these men working for a success that is in no way guaranteed.  In terms of the production design, director George Clooney does an excellent job of transporting you to the era with the costumes, sets, and props of the day.  As hard as times were, Clooney lets you see the goodness present without overly romanticizing it.  Clooney also does an excellent job of filming the competition scenes.  Like all good sports movies, he knows how to make it visually dynamic while ramping up the tension until you are on the edge of your seats.

The biggest drawback of the film is the fact that it has to make a story with nearly a dozen characters either on the crew, the coaching team, along with other supporting characters.  As a result, you really only get to know Joe and Al fairly well.  There are other guys on the boat, but I'll be honest: none of them made a lasting impression on me.  That isn't necessarily the fault of the actors.  It's just that the movie focuses so much on joe that we barely make an emotional connection with any other member of the team.

But the movie leaves you feeling uplifted.  Our characters are flawed, but they ultimately try to do the right thing.  There is a moment in the third act, where there is an act of idealized sportsmanship that I found very touching.  It is the hope that competition in sports breeds not only intensity and excellence, but mutual respect.

While not much of the movie lingers, what does is a very pleasant memory.