[FILM REVIEW] THE BOYS IN THE BOAT Review (2024)
Summary: A 1930s-set story centered on the University of Washington’s rowing team, from their Depression-era beginnings to winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Year: 2024
Cinema Release Dates: 4th January 2024 (Australia), TBA (Thailand), 12th January 2024 (UK), 25th December 2023 (USA)
VOD Release Dates: TBA (Australia), TBA (Thailand), TBA (UK), TBA (USA)
Country: USA
Director: George Clooney
Screenwriter: Mark L. Smith
Cast: Edward Baker-Duly (Benjamin Billings), Jacob James Beswick (Harvey Love), Andrew Bridgmont (Heinrich Pauli), Jaymes Butler (Charlie Rylie), Tom Claxton (Nathan Coy), Will Coban (Jim McMillin), Tyler Davis (O;Brien), Chris Diamantopoulos (Royal Brougham), Sam Douglas (Chairman Henry Burke), Joel Edgerton (Coach Al Ulbrickson), Thomas Elms (Chuck Day), Frankie Fox (Glenn Morry), Peter Guinness (George Pocock), Courtney Henggler (Hazel Ulbrickson), Bruce Herbelin-Earle (Shorty Hunt), Jyuddah Jaymes (Jesse Owen), Adrian Lukis (Jay Ellis), Callum Macreadie (Young Joe Rantz), Kirsty MacLaren (Carolyn), Ian McElhinney (Elderly Joe Rantz), Robert Morgan (Professor Stone), Jack Mulhern (Don Hume), Alec Newman (Harry Rantz), Joel Phillimore (Gordy Adam), Daniel Philpott (Hitler), Hadley Robinson (Joyce Simdars), Luke Slattery (Bobby Moch), Jack Staddon (Bo Billings), Sam Strike (Roger Morris), Dominic Tighe (Coach Brown), Callum Turner (Joe Rantz), Tom Varey (Johnny White), Chris Wilson (Hermann Goring), Jame Wolk (Coach Tom Bolles), Glenn Wrage (Coach Ky Ebright)
Running Time: 123 minutes
Classification: PG (Australia), TBC (Thailand), 12A (UK), PG13 (USA)
OUR THE BOYS IN THE BOAT REVIEWS
David Griffiths and Kyle McGrath’s The Boys In The Boat Review
David’s rating Out Of 5
Kyle’s rating Out Of 5
Alex First’s The Boys In The Boat Review
On 14th August 1936, the US eights rowing crew did something very special at the Berlin Olympics.
This is their story, led by one of their number, Joe Rantz (Callum Turner), a student of engineering who lived in a dilapidated car and could barely makes ends meet.
The eight, plus an alternate and a cox were drawn from working class stock during the Depression era.
They were handpicked by well-meaning and decent University of Washington coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), a more than handy rower in his day.
Rantz’s mother died when he was young and his father left him to his own devices before he reached the age of 14.
Although enrolled in uni, he struggled to find the money to pay for his tuition.
Rantz was at severe risk of being kicked out when a classmate presented him with a possible solution. Join a rowing crew and receive a wage and board.
But what Rantz didn’t realise was how stiff the competition was to be selected.
In any event, he was up for the challenge and became a member of the university’s new junior crew.
That is when the “heat” started intensifying even further.
Rantz – who forged a close bond with boat builder George Pocock (Peter Guinness) – wasn’t the only one under pressure.
The University of Washington hadn’t beaten their archrivals – California State – for a couple of decades. So it was that the future of the coaches, along with the crew, was on the line.
What happened next was the stuff of dreams.
The Boys in the Boat is a moving underdog story, involving triumph against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Even if you are totally unaware of what happened to this rowing crew back in the day, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.
Still, I found myself heavily invested in the journey.
The screenplay is by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), from a book by Daniel James Brown.
At the helm is director George Clooney (The Monuments Men), who milks the emotion of the times to positive effect.
That is aided by performances, led by a respectful but determined Edgerton as the head coach and a restrained Callum Turner, who comes into his own as Joe Rantz.
Both are credible, alongside a gregarious Hadley Robinson, who plays Rantz’s fourth grade crush, Joyce Simdars.
James Wolk injects personality into assistant coach Tom Bolles.
Jack Mulhern is effective as the shyest member of the crew (and adept pianist) Don Hume.
Sam Strike brings self-believe to cox Roger Morris.
Peter Guinness acts like a father figure to Rantz, while Courtney Henggeler, as Hazel, backs her husband, the head coach.
I wasn’t as sold on the casting or representation of Hitler in Nazi Germany, which I saw as somewhat clunky.
Still, the visuals of the boys bending their backs is magnificently captured, often in close up, by cinematographer Martin Ruhe (The Midnight Sky).
Of great merit is the film’s production design by Kalina Ivanov, which transports us back to the period.
Another highlight is the evocative score from Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water). Clooney succeeds by injecting much drama and anticipation into the historic events depicted, bringing them to life anew.
David’s rating Out Of 5
Average Subculture rating Out Of 5
Other The Boys In The Boat Reviews
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