The Boys in the Boat
They don't make movies like they used to — unless George Clooney is behind the camera, in which case it’s like the 1930s never ended.
Increasingly removed from the skillset that gave us Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March, the actor-turned-director’s latest dud, The Boys in the Boat, is a parody of a cliché that feels made by malfunctioning AI.
The fact-based story of the University of Washington’s 1936 men’s rowing team seemingly doesn’t need much to translate well to the screen, especially with the massive built-in audience that gobbled up Daniel James Brown’s bestselling book by the same name. But it requires slightly more effort than Clooney and screenwriter Mark L. Smith (The Revenant; The Marsh King's Daughter) put forth.
The opposite of a heart-pounding adventure, this adaptation appears driven by the collaborators’ commitment to making the most obvious decisions possible in each scene. From mind-numbing expository dialogue to hokey reaction shots to poor Alexandre Desplat’s manipulative score, the filmmakers leave nothing to chance, spelling out every detail as impoverished loner Joe Rantz (Callum Turner, Emma.) attempts to stay in school by making the team in a sport in which he — like many of his hungry classmates — has zero experience.
Unlike Apollo 13 and other historical dramatizations where the filmmakers cast a cinematic enchantment that allows rapt viewers to temporarily forget they know the outcome, there’s absolutely no doubt that the Huskies and coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton, on autopilot) will succeed. And there’s also zero question that The Powers That Be will come up with some dumb excuse to keep these scrappy underdogs from enjoying what’s rightfully theirs, thereby prolonging an already prolonged drama.
As Clooney’s and Smith’s baffling decisions pile up and topple under the poor construction, it’s only natural that The Boys in the Boat should be wrapped in a ridiculous wannabe Saving Private Ryan framing device that further insults modern viewers and anyone who doesn’t want to be spoon-fed their entertainment.
Such pandering filmmaking may have its roots in the Depression-era Hollywood where this movie is set, but by aiming so low when a little effort could have gone a long way, Clooney & Co. do a disservice to those they seek to honor — including these heroic Huskies.
Grade: D. Rated PG-13. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.
(Photo: Laurie Sparham/MGM)
