The Stream: Many boring and trite sports movie moments.

The Big Screen: Exciting boat races build tension.

The Final Bill: Although there is a heartwarming true story at the center, the movie overall is bland and forgettable.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: George Clooney
Writers: Mark L. Smith based on a book by Daniel James Brown
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, James Wolk, Chris Diamantopoulos,
Genre: Drama, Biography, Sports
Rating: PG-13 for language and smoking
Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes
Production Companies: Tempesta Films, Lantern Entertainment, MGM, Spyglass Entertainment, Smokehouse Pictures, Solas Mind
Platform: In theaters December 25, 2023
Notable Trailers: Challengers, Arthur the King, American Fiction, The Fall Guy

Hey, Streamers! There were a lot of releases around Christmas this year including the true story of the University of Washington men’s eight crew team that became the representatives for the United States in the 1936 Summer Olympics called The Boys in the Boat. Yep, the theaters are full of heartwarming family flicks, and this one is aimed squarely at the dads. Here’s whether this boat floats.

In The Boys in the Boat, we follow Joe Rantz (Callum Turner), who is a student at the University of Washington, that is struggling financially. He does not have enough money for tuition and may need to withdraw if he doesn’t come up with the funds to remain enrolled. Rantz and a friend discover that being selected for the rowing team will provide them with funds and lodging, which both need. From there, the film focuses on the rise of the scrappy junior varsity rowing team to the 1936 Olympics. Training montages and inspirational hijinks ensue.

Because this movie is based on a true story, it hits some familiar “true story” plot points. Rantz has a crush of a girl, and she becomes important to him, and he’s hiding a secret about his past. The coach, Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgeron), is under pressure from the school to make sure the varsity team wins, but he believes in the scrappy upstarts on the junior varsity crew. The team lacks money to get to the Olympics, but somehow they have to raise enough or lose their spot. Each narrative turn is fairly predictable, and the movie doesn’t do anything to add any tension to the story. It is difficult to critique a movie that is so paint-by-numbers, by-the-book bland. It gets pretty boring as well. There really is nothing to tell. The movie looks fine. It does have some exciting rowing scenes, but that’s really all there is to it.

Ultimately, The Boys in the Boat is an okay movie but not memorable. There is a heartwarming story at the center of the film, but just because the story is historical doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Although the races are exciting enough, it’s still too predictable overall. I can only suggest waiting for this one on streaming with one popped kernel of popcorn.