17. The Boys In The Boat; movie review

 

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT

Cert 12A

124 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate bad language

"That was too good to be true, wasn't it?" I remarked to Mrs W as we departed Derby Odeon's screening of The Boys In The Boat.

So, as we waited for the following picture, I referred to the excellent Hollywood vs History website.

Much to my surprise, it states that George Clooney's movie is very accurate - even down to the most unlikely and romantic elements.

Unnecessary exaggeration is one of my bugbears about pictures based on real happenings, so it is pleasing to discover those that haven't wandered from fact to fiction.

This is the story of a Washington State University rowing crew of working-class kids who don't have the benefits of their rivals.

Joel Edgerton plays coach Al Ulbrickson, who brings the eight together after intense trials and tries to hone their raw potential.

Among the squad is Joe Rantz (Callum Turner), a young man who lives in a scrap car in a shanty area of Seattle.

Rantz is desperately trying to find ways of meeting his education fees, and being on the rowing crew is his last resort.

But, while there is no doubting his physical attributes, he must fight mental demons gathered after being abandoned by his father.

His support comes from a lass (Hadley Robinson) he has known since fourth grade and a wizened boat maker (Peter Guinness) who imparts the long lessons of life.

Meanwhile, the main thrust of the picture comes from the races on the water and the Washington team's uncanny habit of beating the odds.

And that could even lead them to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

The action is impressive, Turner's work is particularly compelling, and audiences will root for those Washington boys. Nevertheless, despite their basis in truth, I found the resolutions played out too easily.

That is why I haven't marked The Boys In The Boat more enthusiastically.

Reasons to watch: Riveting true story

Reasons to avoid: A bit cheesy in parts

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Daniel James Brown was inspired to write his 2013 non-fiction novel, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, after meeting with the elderly Joe Rantz.

The final word. Callum Turner: "We were a professional sports team for five months, and we learned how to row, so what you see on the water is real, so we weren't acting. It was just doing it. That lent itself to the movie because you can fill every pull and every grunt. There's so much grit and determination in there, and it's all for real." Forbes

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