I read the book of "The Boys on the Boat" soon after it was published, and loved it. It was an insightful and inspirational true story of a rowing team that defied all odds in an incredibly volatile period in both American and world history. I wasn't really planning on seeing the movie at first due to the mediocre reviews, but after hearing good word of mouth from friends, I decided to go. While it's definitely not as good as the book and can sometimes come off as formulaic and a bit cheesy, it's still often well-made and well-shot. The film follows the University of Washington rowing team as they prepare to compete in the 1936 Olympics, which were held in Nazi-ruled Germany.
The film doesn't deviate from a standard underdog or sports movie template, and some deviation from such formulas could have been better to make a more compelling and engaging film. That said, Clooney's direction is steady and good-natured, and the film is very well-paced at two hours long. The story is deft and cohesive, and the performances (particularly from the rowers themselves as well as Joel Edgerton as the coach) are generally strong. The film could have used a bit better character development, and added contextual information that was present in the book providing more specifics about how the team got to be so good could have been better utilized. Yet the film is entertaining, inspiring, and filled with sincerity and earnestness, and it's commendable when all of those qualities are integrated together on screen. It's not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination, and I understand where the mixed reviews are coming from, but I thought it was still a solid and enjoyable movie that fans of the book should be generally pleased with. Recommended. 7/10.
The film doesn't deviate from a standard underdog or sports movie template, and some deviation from such formulas could have been better to make a more compelling and engaging film. That said, Clooney's direction is steady and good-natured, and the film is very well-paced at two hours long. The story is deft and cohesive, and the performances (particularly from the rowers themselves as well as Joel Edgerton as the coach) are generally strong. The film could have used a bit better character development, and added contextual information that was present in the book providing more specifics about how the team got to be so good could have been better utilized. Yet the film is entertaining, inspiring, and filled with sincerity and earnestness, and it's commendable when all of those qualities are integrated together on screen. It's not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination, and I understand where the mixed reviews are coming from, but I thought it was still a solid and enjoyable movie that fans of the book should be generally pleased with. Recommended. 7/10.