First, it was The Iron Claw. Then it was Ferrari. Now The Boys In The Boat completes the trifecta of movies based on true stories for the holiday season. The best thing I can say about The Boys In The Boat is that it’s handsomely made. The worst I can say is that it’s consistently bland.
From the novel of the same name by Daniel James Brown, the movie takes place in 1936 at the University of Washington and centers around the rowing team that is vying to get a spot at that year’s Olympic games.
The movie focuses on a few of the teammates rather than the team as a whole. Callum Turner plays Joe Rantz, a student on the team who is in trouble of losing his place at the school due to outstanding debts. Of course, he finds a way to counter that and falls in love with a girl (Hadley Robinson).
Joel Edgerton plays the coach Al Ulbrickson who dominates the boys’ will to win with an iron fist, but they also have a nurturing presence in the form of their builder George Pocock (Peter Guinness). He gives out Yoda-like sentiments to encourage the boys.
The rowing scenes aren’t very exciting in this movie, but Clooney dodges around that thanks to some quick editing by Tanya M. Swerling that gives the scenes a little oomph.
There are no surprises nor even the tiniest hint of suspense in The Boys In The Boat because we know more or less what the inevitable outcome will be, but Clooney knows how to make this film look and feel old-fashioned, which has its advantages and disadvantages.
Clooney has had a checkered record when it comes to his directorial efforts. For every Good Night, and Good Luck, there’s also a Leatherheads or a The Monuments Men. Sadly, this one falls into the latter.
The Boys In The Boat is well-intentioned, but ultimately it’s far too dull and predictable for me to recommend.
It doesn’t even come close to earning even a bronze medal.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG-13 for language and smoking.)
