‘The Boys in the Boat’ Finds George Clooney Rowing in a Very Safe Lane
George Clooney’s latest directorial effort is such a strait-laced historical biopic that you wonder whether he truly felt inspired to make the movie.
(L to R) Sam Strike stars as Roger Morris, Thomas Elms as Chuck Day, Joel Phillimore as Gordy Adam, Tom Varey as Johnny White, Wil Coban as Jim McMillin, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, Jack Mulhern as Don Hume and Luke Slattery as Bobby Moch in director George Clooney’s 'The Boys in the Boat,' an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
In theaters on December 25th, ‘The Boys in the Boat’ is George Clooney’s ninth film as a director, but it’s so disappointingly average that it feels like an earlier effort, or even a backwards step from one of his previous, more inventive movies.
Certainly it has the benefit of a compelling true story, yet it never quite lives up to it.
Should you and your crew see ‘The Boys in the Boat’?
(L to R) Bruce Herbelin-Earle stars as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz
and Jack Mulhern as Don Hume in director George Clooney’s
'The Boys in the Boat,' an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham
© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
When a movie is based on “the incredible true story”, you rather hope that the result is something that lives up to, or at least reflects, that concept. It’s with regret, then, that Clooney’s new movie, a straight-down-the-line biographical look at the team from the University of Washington crew who overcame enormous odds (and some much better funded/experienced teams) to get to the Olympics and… well, some would argue that to reveal what happens might be a spoiler but considering that the real events happened in the 1930s, we’d say that Wikipedia (and history) already spoiled it for you.
Still, there will be those who don’t know the story, and one of the pleasures of a movie like this is filling in the details that the records of medals and timings don’t offer. But even here, they’re presented in such bargain basement fashion as to offer little real entertainment.
‘The Boys in the Boat’: Script and Direction
Director George Clooney on the set of his film 'The Boys in the Boat,' an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Daniel James Brown’s book offers plenty to mine from the story of the team, and it’s here adapted by Mark L. Smith, the writer behind movies such as ‘The Hole’, ‘Martyrs’, ‘The Revenant’ and Clooney’s 2020 thriller ‘The Midnight Sky’.
Smith chooses to go the straightforward route, sticking mostly to the facts while focusing on one of the rowers in particular (Callum Turner’s Joe Rantz) and the team’s coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton). One presumes Rantz was the target because of his tough upbringing, which should be fuel for a dramatic underdog story to rival the team’s own, but it all feels like stories we’ve heard before and rarely gets under Rantz’ skin. Scenes of he and the team celebrating or courting future wife Joyce (Hadley Robinson) are right from the biopic playbook.
As for Clooney’s direction, he knows how to corral and ensemble, and he gets solid work from Turner and Edgerton, but for an inspirational true story, the direction here is just… well, uninspired. There are the expected shots of sun-dappled water and sweaty rowers going through the motions. Scenes where the plucky grump of a coach goes up against the authorities to insist that his methods –– particularly sending his junior team to a crucial Olympic qualifying race against better judgement –– are all too familiar.
And the scenes invented to string between the rowing triumphs and the hard work put in to make it happen just don’t have much in the way of flair or true interest. In fact, half of the movie has the impression of something like a parody of inspirational true-life movies.
Given that he brought such freshness to films including ‘The Ides of March’, and particularly ‘Good Night, and Good Luck.’, this is a frankly bland effort. It’s even more surprising given that he’s worked well with period sporting drama in the past with ‘Leatherheads’.
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‘The Boys in the Boat’: Performances
(L to R) James Wolk star as Coach Bolles, Dominic Tighe as Coach Brown and Joel Edgerton as Coach Al Ulbrickson in director George Clooney’s 'The Boys in the Boat,' an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
As we mentioned, this is very much a film about Joe Rantz and Al Ulbrickson, which means the film falls on the shoulders of Callum Turner and Joel Edgerton.
Turner does what he can with the role of the noble, headstrong Rantz, who rose from a hardscrabble upbringing to be one of the key rowers on the team. Mostly, he’s called upon to be taciturn or celebratory, and he brings the man to life with convincing passion. It’s just a shame that the role doesn’t really break out of the standard type.
As his college sweetheart Joyce, meanwhile, Robinson is essentially filling The Girlfriend role. But she’s at least sparky and watchable.
Edgerton has a little more to work with, since Ulbrickson gets to be driven, angry, careworn and triumphant, battling his own fears of failure with his sheer belief in what he’s doing. He’s aided in the role by Courtney Henggeler as his wife, Hazel, who is a funny, smart match for him.
Around them, the rest of the team are little more than sketches, each given one character trait if they’re lucky (Jack Mulhern’s Don Hume is musical and gets sick once the team reaches the Berlin Olympics, putting his place at risk). And Ulbrickson’s fellow coaches, played by James Wolk and Sam Strike, are little more than sounding boards for him. Finally, we have the quiet, wise boat builder George Pocock (Peter Guinness), who becomes something of a mentor to Joe and offers homilies about boat wax and pain leaching into the wood by way of guidance.
‘The Boys in the Boat’: Final Thoughts
(L to R) Bruce Herbelin-Earle stars as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, and Wil Coban as Jim McMillan in director George Clooney’s 'The Boys in the Boat,' an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
‘The Boys in the Boat’ is not a bad movie per se, it’s just so resolutely by-the-numbers that it does the true story portrayed little justice.
Honestly, if you’re after a full portrait of the inspiring story of working class rowers triumphing against more privileged types (and fascism), then you’re better off with the book. And that’s a sad sentiment to write about a movie, especially one from someone as experienced as Clooney.
‘The Boys in the Boat’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
What’s the story of ‘The Boys in the Boat’?
Adapted from the non-fiction book written by Daniel James Brown, the film follows the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin.
It’s the inspirational tale of a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world.
Who is in ‘The Boys in the Boat?
The movie’s cast includes Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Peter Guinness, Sam Strike, Thomas Elms, Hadley Robinson, Chris Diamantopoulos and Courtney Henggeler.
Director George Clooney on the set of his film 'The Boys in the Boat,' an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo credit: Laurie Sparham. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Other George Clooney Movies:
- 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' (2002)
- 'Good Night, and Good Luck.' (2005)
- 'Leatherheads' (2008)
- 'The Ides of March' (2011)
- 'The Monuments Men' (2014)
- 'Suburbicon' (2017)
- 'The Midnight Sky' (2020)
- 'The Tender Bar' (2021)
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