The Boys in the Boat Movie review

When I was first told to read a book about rowing many years back, my level of piqued interest could best be described as somewhere between zero and maybe minus one.

Rowing? I knew nothing about it and never really cared to, quite frankly.

But once I started reading, like many others who turned the Daniel James Brown book into a best seller and international hit, I was utterly mesmerized by this phenomenal story. I would confidently list this among the top five books I have ever read.

Now, to make a movie to match the brilliance of a book? Not so easy. Witness the equally incredible story of Louis Zamperini, the fantastic novel Unbroken, and the corresponding movie, which, if it didn't flop, indeed flipped.

For The Boys in The boat, who other than George Clooney could take on the mission to produce this movie and attempt to capture the same magic that the award-winning book had?

My analysis after watching it recently? If not matching it, Clooney has at least come close.

Unknown actor Callum Turner plays the lead character, Joe Rantz, and Joel Edgerton co-leads with an outstanding job as the University of Washington coach, Al Ulbrickson.

The movie (and the book) is the true story of the University of Washington's "JV" rowing team that shocked the collegiate rowing world—and then the world as a whole- by capturing gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The same games where American Jesse Owens won four golds to steal the thunder from Germany's Adolf Hitler.

But The Boys In The Boat only features an extremely quick cameo by Owens; instead, it is about the teamwork and grueling effort of the eight rowers and the one coxswain (the guy in the boat that directs the rowers) and their incredible underdog story.

It is well-acted, well-constructed, and builds to the expected but wondrous conclusion of their ultimate victory.

Two themes run throughout: The teamwork and togetherness that made this group unique. "We are not eight, we are one" is their guiding motto, and they all came from blue-collar backgrounds. They had to work hard and overcome much in their youth to get where they are, which is the "special sauce" that makes this group take on and defeat the more experienced and higher-rated competition.

The best scene in the movie is a subtle but powerful one. Edgerton, in a quiet moment with no one else around, is looking through some of the boys' lockers. He notices the shoes of each one. They are old, worn, torn, and often with holes in the sole. At that moment, he realizes the challenging backgrounds of these young men and why they have surprised even him, the long-time veteran coach, with how well they perform.

Peter Guinness as the wily old rowing expert George Pocock, Haley Robinson as star Rantz's long-time crush now girlfriend Joyce, and Luke Slattery as the charismatic coxswain who brings them a much-needed motivational boat presence are all excellent in supporting roles.

What is the best indication of the movie's success?

At the end, the audience was clapping—first, a few, then the majority. You don't hear that too often in theaters these days.

It is a remarkable book, and now a quality movie to go along with it.