Unable to pay off the rest of his terms tuition fees, Joe Rants aims to get a spot on his University’s rowing team to help pay his way.
Set in 1930s USA, The Boys in the Boat is a film about struggling to achieve the best in a world where even the world economic system itself appears to be set against our main characters.
You do not have to be a fan of rowing to enjoy this film (although it could help) as the important technical details of 8-man rowing are given to you. And, more importantly, the races are absolutely thrilling to watch, made all the more engaging through an electric performance from the commentators.
Much like the rowing in the film, the pacing was perfect, managing to tell all the important beats of the story without any part feeling rushed or dragging on. As well as this, the music score was beautiful to listen to and conveyed the grandiosity of each moment.
I do think that Callum Turner’s performance as Joe Rants left just a little to be desired in terms of emotional reactions to events surrounding him, and there could have been more chemistry between him and Hadley Robinson’s Joyce Simdars.
Besides that, the rest of the performances were great in building up the sense of camaraderie between teammates.
This film is definitely worth a watch, particularly if you are into films about overcoming adversity and fighting for success.