The Boys in the Boat

These were the days of an almighty depression, when the world and its people were enveloped by recession, when food was hard to find, most folks were in a bind, and a group of desperate lads, came together as one plus seven. Coach Al Ulbrickson selects the team that he believes can win, makes a change or two to bolster a new cox as the kingpin, there are trials tribulations, before they challenge other nations, at the 36 Olympics taking place, Deutschland, Berlin. So the tensions elevated and the heats are raced and rowed, the strategy is simple at half way they just explode, but the Germans take a shot, in front of Adolf their despot, you'll have to watch the final sequence to find out winning boatload.

As a former rower, I'm glad I saw this movie. There's a certain mental stamina, in addition to physical strength, required to row a boat fast and in sync with others that not many people realize. This movie definitely made an effort to capture that, but it didn't always quite hit the mark. The creators definitely felt a lot of respect for the sport, but I don't think they would have quite sold it to me if I didn't feel the same.

The script was the biggest weak point for this movie. It was very uninspired, totally predictable. The dialogue was very wooden, and the characters were almost entirely flat. Joel Edgerton sold me on his character as a very guarded, stern-faced coach with a heart of gold, but the rest of the cast was pretty unremarkable. It's not all their fault though, most of them get very little to work with. The last scene actually made me roll my eyes, it was so cheesy and frankly amateur.

The music was a interesting. I really didn't like the score in the opening and first few scenes, but it really got me at the story's pivotal moments. That should be what counts I guess.

I did really enjoy the set though; the costumes to the production design were excellent and really painted a picture of an America that has been suffering from 5 years of the Depression that are starting to claw their way through hope and resilience to a bit of a better place.

All and all, this was a really warm feel-good story, just not one of the best movies ever made. I'm glad I saw it, but will probably never watch it again.

The story is incredible, so I was surprised how flat the movie was. Yes, you get some feel-good moments, but there were so many missed opportunities to make this a truly great movie. The narrative leaves a lot of loose ends that prevent us from connecting with the characters. The actors did their best with what was given, but I really wanted to know more about each character. There were also some shockingly cheesy elements - the intro and ending were completely superfluous, and just lame. The music score was corny and dated. The Boys in the Boat is worth watching once, but if you want the real story, read the book.

I don't like sport but I do love a good sport's movie after my Sunday roast.

This has everything you would expect, down-trodden beautiful people who need to strive to win a game of sports.

This has a very traditional feel about it with a fairly standard hero and romantic interest which, bizarrely, felt quite refreshing.

The boys row the boat and get knocked down but then do better to some rousing music.

There really is nothing new here but the people making this film realised it and ran with it.

It is great to watch a film that isn't trying to be something it is not.

The costumes and sets are amazing and you get a real (although sanitised) feel for the time.

The story focuses on a few characters meaning other members of the crew fade into the background - but the main characters have enough to them to carry this along.

There is nothing to get excited, upset or hot under the collar here - just a good honest story.

I miss movies like this.

My only criticism is it felt a little long - but then that is what Sunday afternoons are all about.

We waited so long for this movie to be made, ever since Daniel James Brown wrote the story. A serendipitous set of events led to the story even being recorded, as Judy Rantz Willman just happened to have Daniel James Brown as a neighbor, and eventually persuaded Brown to visit her father, who was in hospice care. What he thought was a social visit, she saw as a book about to be written. His initial skepticism evaporated quickly, when Joe began sharing his story. In Joe's remaining couple of months of life, Brown met with Rantz several times to begin creating the outline for the book. He then met with the families of the other crew members, followed by two years of further research, aided by Judy Rantz. The eight were amazing people, accustomed to hardship and personal challenges. For example, when Don Hume's family moved from Anacortes to Olympia, Don tossed his belongings into a rowboat and paddled down Puget Sound to his new home, roughly 100 miles away. Look at a map! A multiple-sport letterman in high school, he had also placed third in a state pianist's competition. And Joe Rantz was such a standout athlete in gymnastics at Roosevelt High School, that Coach Ulbrickson already had his eye on him then. So, what did we miss in the movie? Joe's difficult pre-college life is mostly absent, and worth the read by itself. We also miss Joe's wanderings around Berlin, where he witnesses Germany's horrific treatment of its Jewish population, under its totalitarian leader. Like nearly everything from Hollywood, a bit of romance is thrown in to add spice, but the story shines, throughout the picture. Here and there a bit of drama is added for effect, but personalities presented by the actors conform closely with who they represented. George Pocock really was the sage he seemed in the movie. Don Hume comes across as a bit socially awkward in the movie. A good friend met him several years ago where she worked, and described him as, uh, gruff. The fearless audacity of the team comes through in a story told only in the book. Before sailing to Germany for the Olympics, the team decides to drop in, unannounced, on Franklin Roosevelt at his home. Although they didn't find the president at home, they did spend the evening there. The story behind this movie is too remarkably wonderful to be fiction. See the movie, but by all means read the book!