Film Pick of the Week: The Boys in the Boat - review by Yvette Huddleston

At the height of the Depression in America, many of the young students at the University of Washington, apart from those with wealthy families, are struggling to get by. One such student is Joe Rantz (played by British actor Callum Turner) whose family has been torn apart by the Depression and who has been fending for himself since he was 14 years old. He lives in an abandoned pick-up truck, surviving on tinned food and is behind on the payment of his tuition fees. Then, fellow penniless engineering student Roger Morris (Sam Strike) tells him that securing a place on the rowing team comes with pay and lodgings. So they both try out for the team, along with dozens of other hopefuls, and are selected to be part of the crew of eight rowers plus a cox on the university’s junior team.

They are put through their paces on a strict training regime by taciturn coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton) who has big ambitions for the team and controversially chooses them above the senior crew to potentially represent the US in the Olympics. The team is clearly talented and determined but they are up against Ivy League teams that have a lot of money behind them and higher-grade equipment at their disposal. After a series of heats, in which the team does exceptionally well, it looks like their place representing America at the Olympics is secured. However, Ulbrickson is then informed that they will need to raise more money in order to compete, not an easy task in such straitened times.

There are some inspiring set pieces on the water as the team train and go up against crews in David-and-Goliath-style encounters where they are the underdogs and it is assumed that they are beaten even before they get in the boat. It is very satisfying to witness those preconceptions being spectacularly shattered.

There is some lovely attention to period detail and the performances from all concerned are committed and believable, even if some of the dialogue verges on the clunky and clichéd at times. While not Clooney’s best film as director, this is nevertheless a rousing, uplifting and inspiring story of triumph over adversity and the importance of teamwork.