THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (2023)

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (2023)

Tagline: Believe In The Impossible, Believe In Each Other.

(Biography, Drama, On A Boat) [PG-13]

First off, the rights to this film were originally owned by The Weinstein Company whose disgraced owner led to the company filing for bankruptcy. The rights eventually fell to Lantern Entertainment and the film was distributed by MGM. 

This one is about the University of Washington’s rowing team in the 1930s that was coached by Al Ulbrickson. It is the true story of an unlikely team of depression-era students who would shock their much wealthier opponents and eventually the world. 

This film is based on a book of the same name which was based on a true story. It is aptly directed by George Clooney, but I do think there are a few things he could have done here to make things more interesting visually. Unless you just really love the time period and row boats, this won’t blow you away on a visual level. What we do have here is a lot of impressive performances. 

Acting wise the biggest standout has to be Joel Edgerton (JANE GOT A GUN). I am not going to say he has all the best lines or anything, but he gives this movie a grounded feeling that helps push everything along. Callum Turner (FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLDORE) is good as Joe Rantz kind of playing a man’s man. I don’t know what Joe’s real-life family thinks of Turner’s performance, but in real life, Joe lived to be 93 and accomplished quite a bit including earning a chemical engineering degree. We also get a solid outing from Peter Guinness (KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD). He plays George Pocock the rowing team’s boat maker and just kills it. Hadley Robinson is solid as Joyce Simdars, Joe’s love interest in the film. Hadley is probably best known for THE PALE BLUE EYE. Courtney Henggeler is also very good as Al’s wife Hazel. She is best known these days for playing Amanda LaRusso on the show “Cobra Kai”. 

When it comes to the pacing, there isn’t a lot of wasted time here. They get right into the rowing aspect of the film without wasting much time at all. I also liked the chemistry between Joyce and Joe throughout the film. I also loved the production of this thing. As I stated earlier the visuals don’t blow you away, but they definitely did a great job of bringing us back to the era. I am not sure how poor the students at the University of Washington were, but I know someone who is still alive who was born in 1930 and she says her family was so poor they ate “lard” for many meals to save money. That doesn’t sound like something to brag about, so I am convinced her story is true. 

Overall this is an accomplished time capsule of a film that has us rooting for America (and these characters) even if today’s colleges are trying to get you to hate it. I do feel like this film will slip through the cracks, but it is a really interesting and intriguing story of triumph in the face of adversity. I also think historically (and rightfully so) the story took a back seat to James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens who won 4 Gold Medals in the 1936 Belin Olympics, the same Olympics this rowing team was involved in. 

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT gets a solid 5 out of 7. It’s not as good as GRAN TURISMO, but it’s a very solid film along the lines of that one when it comes to the spirit of human triumph.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF LANTERN ENTERTAINMENT AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.