George Clooney’s directing career has ranged from the television-heavy films Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night and Good Luck to the 1920s football sports comedy Leatherheads and the 1920s football sports comedy Leatherheads. Leading up to World War II, it has primarily focused on American nostalgia. From the thriller “The Monuments Men” to the 1950s-set “Suburbicon” to the 1970s coming-of-age memoir “The Tender Bar.” For Clooney’s ninth film, he reaches into the past again with The Boys in the Boat, a sentimental and occasionally exciting but disappointingly bland by-the-numbers sports biopic. This film depicts the true story of the University of Washington’s underdog rowing team. And he achieved his goal of winning a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
yes, Them Olympic competition. Jesse Owens match. A cameo appearance by Owens (played by Judah James) introduces a group of difficult young men who, although most of them come from working-class and poor families, are still far superior to black men in America. Let me remind you that you are there. He also grimaces like a frustrated child when Germany doesn’t get his way and signals the obligatory shot of Hitler in the stands.
If that’s not enough of a stacked deck, the prolific and talented Alexandre Desplat (The Queen, The King’s Speech, Argo) delivers every emotional beat to your heart’s content. How about your score? The Boys in the Boat is not without its inspirational influences. It means we are fully aware that we are being pushed in that direction.
“The Boys in the Boat”
For starters, there’s a well-shot, well-acted, but formulaic sequence leading up to the climactic race between America and rivals like Italy and Germany. Director Clooney and screenwriter Mark L. Smith, who adapted Daniel James Brown’s non-fiction novel of the same name, have faithfully preserved the story’s essential truths while cherishing the warm, glowing sentimentality of “Chariots of Fire.” It is reproduced in
Callum Turner, looking every bit the rugged, old-school movie star, does a fine, steady job as Joe Lantz, who has been independent since age 14 and lives in the shell of an old car in Depression-era suburbia. doing. Seattle. Joe enrolled at the University of Washington with dreams of becoming an engineer, but he risks being expelled if he doesn’t earn enough to find a job and pay his tuition. Joe’s buddy Roger (Sam Strike) tells Joe about an upcoming tryout for the boys’ 8 rowing team, and although Joe has no experience in the sport, he’s willing to try out because the team members are given a place to stay and a paycheck. I’ll try it out. work.
The always solid Joel Edgerton appears as the stoic coach Al Ulbrickson. He is like the Knut Rockne of rowing instructors, telling hopefuls about to undergo the toughest training of their lives that his crew of eight is “the toughest team.” But if they can all blend into one perfectly synchronized machine, rowing is pure poetry. Cinematographer Martin Ruhe provides one sun-drenched gliding shot after another to support the whole poetic thing.
As you follow Joe’s journey, you can’t deny the beauty and strength of this sport. He is on the junior national team and will soon replace the senior team as the University of Washington’s top prospect to represent the United States at the Olympics. (One of his cool, historically accurate touches is that spectators could watch the races aboard an “observation train” with bleachers in flat cars.)
Like the crew of eight itself, the film moves along in a methodical, sometimes almost mechanical way, ticking off just about every underdog sports story. Most of Joe’s teammates are so thinly drawn that they’re practically interchangeable, save for a few broad brush strokes, such as one mate who is terribly shy until he displays amazing musical talent. The bully may be hiding a secret. There is a sweet romance between them. Joyce (a lively Hadley Robinson), Joe’s childhood crush and current U-Dub buddy, is too old-fashioned, so they sing “Buffalo Gals” and Joe makes a promise to Joyce. I can’t wait to see a scene where he does. She lassoes the moon for her.
The script contains some speed bumps, such as the team having to scramble to raise their own funds to get to Berlin and a key member of the team falling ill at the worst possible time. There’s very little suspense given what happened in the story. It was his 1936, so famously recorded in Brown’s book. This is the kind of movie I can’t recommend enough. In short, if you’re just looking for a pleasant sports experience without any dramatic heavy lifting or surprises, “The Boys in the Boat” is more than adequate. That’s all.