The Boys in the Boat
In the midst of the Great Depression and looming World War the men with humble beginnings on the University of Washington’s JV rowing crew would find themselves against all odds as a team; and yet somehow, through grit, determination, and unrelenting spirit, with a way to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, this is their story.
Written by Daniel James Brown and Mark L. Smith and Directed by George Clooney, this ultimate David and Goliath story based on incredible true events efforts to capture the public’s heart on screen as much as the Bestseller novel by Brown; and, to a fair extent the magic is there. With Clooney at the helm and frequent collaborator cinematographer Martin Ruhe on board the re-creation of Seattle in the 30’s is a “close enough” approximation for Hollywood, and their vision truly is beautiful and well executed, but as anyone who’s spent time on the inland waters of Lake Washington will tell you, not even close; that aside, the heart of the story still beats strong, even with edits for brevity. With a fine ensemble cast all characters feel in order, it’s a shame we don’t get to dive into all of the characters background’s with richer detail, again edits for brevity. Meanwhile, score from Alexandre Desplat elevates and brings extra life to the picture, mission accomplished. Bottom line, and not surprising, the film serves as a fine cliff’s notes to the book, but misses the full effect. It should also be pointed out, the sound design crew missed a significant bit of detail from the rower’s perspective inside the boat, not that it’s important to the story in any regard, but it is significant to the experience of anyone who’s ever rowed, the sound of the oars rotating in their locks, a distinct clunking sound, gone. Also gone, the sound a well crewed boat makes as it runs and skids across the water, flitting and splashing, too bad, that’s part of the real experience. Still, for two hours and four minutes, the excitement feels real and palpable. The Boys in the Boat is rated PG-13.