At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, the American rowing team competed in the gold medal race. They were made up of junior athletes from the University of Washington, coached by Al Ulbrickson Sr., who made the controversial decision to select them over more experienced teams to represent the United States. In 2013, their epic underdog story was adapted into a novel, written by Daniel James Brown, and titled The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It received huge praise from critics, became a best-seller, and won numerous awards. This true story now receives a film adaptation, The Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney and coming soon to cinemas in January 2024.

The film centres around Joe Rantz, an engineering student at the University of Washington. Despite working hard in his studies, he struggles to afford to pay his tuition fees and other basic living expenses. Unable to get a part-time job due to the Great Depression, his close friend Roger Morris tells him about the tryouts for the University’s eight-man rowing team, and if they’re selected, they’ll be given part-time jobs to earn some money, as well as being provided with accommodation. After a gruelling and exhausting tryout period against many other aspiring athletes, Joe and Roger actually make the team along with six others, but the bigger challenges are yet to come.

Callum Turner stars as Joe Rantz who rowed in the seventh seat in the team. He puts in a remarkable performance, showing the struggles of trying to put himself through university with no support and very little money. Even with the odds stacked against him, he still shows great determination and drive to succeed in life, no matter what it throws at him and how much he may doubt himself.

The other rowers in the team include Sam Strike as Roger Morris, Jack Mulhern as Don Hume, Thomas Elms as Chuck Day, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Shorty Hunt, Will Coban as Jim McMillin, Tom Varey as Johnny White, and Joel Phillimore as Gordy Adam, with Luke Slattery as Bobby Moch, the coxswain for the team. Even though the film’s primary focus is on Joe, his teammates still get their moments on screen, whether they’re socialising, working, celebrating, partying, or most importantly, rowing as one. Even when they have disagreements and come into conflict with each other, they’re always stronger together.

The standouts amongst them are Jack Mulhern as Don and Luke Slattery as Bobby. Don is the most socially awkward in the team, most comfortable in the boat and on the piano. His most memorable moment is when he comes down with a serious illness that could jeopardise his spot in the team, and Jack Mulhern does an amazing job illustrating that struggle.

Luke Slattery gets many opportunities to shine on screen as Bobby, the team’s coxswain, sitting at the back end of the boat and steering it with a megaphone strapped to his face to yell at and motivate the team. His personality really shows, coming across as annoying and insulting at first with all his yelling, but quickly becomes a vital part of the team.

Australian star Joel Edgerton portrays Al Ulbrickson, the team’s coach. As a former rower for the same University whose team won various championships in the country, he knows what it takes to win races and to be a champion. Joel’s performance is another standout in the film, showing tough but fair coaching, moulding his team to be the best they can be, you can see how much he cares for the boys, even becoming a father figure to some of them. His speeches to motivate the team before each race are some of the biggest highlights of the film.

Peter Guinness plays George Pocock, the team’s boat builder. While he doesn’t get as much screen time as the other cast members, his scenes play a very important role. He shows his passion for building the finest boats with his expert craftsmanship, which catches Joe’s interest as he teaches him the tools of the trade. He even shows wisdom, giving advice to Al when he’s feeling lost as the team’s coach.

Hadley Robinson stars as Joyce Simdars, the love interest of Joe. Their relationship has a very interesting backstory, but their romance isn’t quite explored enough and feels a bit rushed. They do get some really heartfelt scenes together in true 1930s fashion, and even if she can’t be there for some of his races, she does what she can to keep up with the events and support him from afar.

The set pieces really give that 1930s feel, featuring the fashions of the era, old vehicles, buildings, listening to the Olympic events on the radio, and more. The scenes in Berlin have no shortage of Nazi flags, which may seem exaggerated, but that’s actually how Germany was back then since it was under Nazi rule, and the 1936 Olympic Games took place three years prior to World War II. A certain German dictator also appears in the film, which seems like a very Hollywood thing to do, but surprisingly, he actually attended and watched the gold medal race, and the German team were the favourites to win.

Sports films have been a big part of the film industry for over a century, but there haven’t been many noteworthy movies that focus on rowing. Eight-man rowing is an incredibly physically demanding and exhausting sport, especially when all eight rowers have to be in sync and row as one. The cinematography does an amazing job highlighting how tough this sport is and how much goes into putting together a rowing team. Joe can be seen with ripped skin on his palms and in so much pain from training, struggling to get to his seat for class, and sometimes, even falling asleep during lectures.

The most intense and exciting moments are of course the races. The seconds leading up to the start of the race build up so much tension you could cut it with a knife. During the races, the strategies and techniques used by the team are incredibly exhilarating, and it’s more than just rowing in a single direction. Crossing the finish lines are some of the most satisfying moments, and audiences will feel the same emotions, stress and pain of the team, as they dig deep and row with everything they have. Seeing rowing from this perspective will surely give everyone a newfound respect for the sport.

No matter how tough things get, the sheer determination of the whole team, including the coaches, everyone behind the scenes, and all their supporters is really inspiring. They inspire each other, everyone around them, even those who doubted them, and especially the audience as they face many challenges, not just on the water, but also behind the scenes, dealing with politics and financial hardships, especially during the Great Depression. Despite all of this, they still don’t give up on their dreams to row for their country.

At first, they rowed out of need. The need to stay in school, a need to eat, and to sleep. After realising their potential, they’re not just rowing for themselves, they’re rowing for each other, for their loved ones, and for their country. This film adaptation of the 1936 American eight-man rowing team is full of inspiring moments and waves of emotion. It is a true story of a real underdog team that needs to be experienced. On January 4th 2024, The Boys in the Boat will be rowing into cinemas.

Written by: Sammy Hanson