The Boys in the Boat – Film Review
by Frank L.

Director – George Clooney
Writers – Daniel James Brown, Mark L. Smith
Stars – Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Peter Guinness

The film is based on Daniel James Brown’s widely acclaimed 2014 book of the same title. The title neatly encapsulates the essence of the story. The action takes place in Seattle, Washington during the height of the Depression. The young men come from deprived backgrounds. They answer a call to learn how to learn the skills to become a first-class team of eight oarsmen. One of the advantages of becoming part of the select group is that you will be fed and have a place to live. However, the film makes clear the snobbishness of rowing at the time with the Ivy League universities of the East Coast and their elite, rich kids dominant in the sport.

Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) was living in a discarded car and lined the soles of his boots with paper in order to diminish the holes. He applies to become an oarsman and is one of the chosen few. He interacts with the single-minded coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton). His wife Hazel (Courtney Henggeler) has a supporting role as does Joe’s love interest Joyce Simdars (Hadley Robinson). George Pocock (Peter Guinness) is a craftsman and boatbuilder of the first order and apart from his professional skills becomes a father-like figure to young Joe. His own father Harry (Alec Newman) left Joe to fend for himself following the death of his mother. This fine-tuned team of young men achieve success and against all the odds represent the United States at the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin which was the then showpiece for Hitler and his Nazi party.

There are magnificent shots of rowing in unison. The sight of the oars dipping in and out of the water is a sight to behold as are the aerial photographs of the boats in competition. The atmosphere is heightened by the well-dressed spectators who cheer on the teams. The costumes of the time add considerably to the glamour of the events as exemplified by Ulbrickson on occasions wearing two-tone shoes. All of this is beautifully observed. However, apart from the obsession to win, the film does not reveal much about the character of Rantz and Ulbrickson. Pocock is the only character who appears to have developed a substantive dimension which incorporates rowing into a broader vision of the world.

This is a story of an underdog triumphing against all the odds. It is based on a true story. It successfully contrasts the contemporary hardship of the thirties with its accompanying glamour.  It is therefore hard to cavil with it. However, more insight into the foibles of Ulbrickson and Rantz might make their single-minded determination more engaging. It is a visually beautiful film about winning as a team when all the odds are stacked against but at the end, you know little about the two main protagonists.