The Boys in the Boat

The story is incredible, so I was surprised how flat the movie was. Yes, you get some feel-good moments, but there were so many missed opportunities to make this a truly great movie. The narrative leaves a lot of loose ends that prevent us from connecting with the characters. The actors did their best with what was given, but I really wanted to know more about each character. There were also some shockingly cheesy elements - the intro and ending were completely superfluous, and just lame. The music score was corny and dated. The Boys in the Boat is worth watching once, but if you want the real story, read the book.

Very few people know this story and how incredible this was and honestly the movie didnt even touch on it enough, i know its two hours and what can they do.

Its a family movie that adults will also like the acting is perfect.

Have to give it to Clooney for doing this he had to know this wasn't going to be a huge money maker but did it anyway.

Been waiting for this since i read the fantastic book wondering if someone would pick it up. We need to pay to see these if we want them to be made in the future.

Would have like to have the accomplishments of the rowers show in the credits like the book explained, these were all very successful people, doctors, lawyers and such.

These were the days of an almighty depression, when the world and its people were enveloped by recession, when food was hard to find, most folks were in a bind, and a group of desperate lads, came together as one plus seven. Coach Al Ulbrickson selects the team that he believes can win, makes a change or two to bolster a new cox as the kingpin, there are trials tribulations, before they challenge other nations, at the 36 Olympics taking place, Deutschland, Berlin. So the tensions elevated and the heats are raced and rowed, the strategy is simple at half way they just explode, but the Germans take a shot, in front of Adolf their despot, you'll have to watch the final sequence to find out winning boatload.

We waited so long for this movie to be made, ever since Daniel James Brown wrote the story. A serendipitous set of events led to the story even being recorded, as Judy Rantz Willman just happened to have Daniel James Brown as a neighbor, and eventually persuaded Brown to visit her father, who was in hospice care. What he thought was a social visit, she saw as a book about to be written. His initial skepticism evaporated quickly, when Joe began sharing his story. In Joe's remaining couple of months of life, Brown met with Rantz several times to begin creating the outline for the book. He then met with the families of the other crew members, followed by two years of further research, aided by Judy Rantz. The eight were amazing people, accustomed to hardship and personal challenges. For example, when Don Hume's family moved from Anacortes to Olympia, Don tossed his belongings into a rowboat and paddled down Puget Sound to his new home, roughly 100 miles away. Look at a map! A multiple-sport letterman in high school, he had also placed third in a state pianist's competition. And Joe Rantz was such a standout athlete in gymnastics at Roosevelt High School, that Coach Ulbrickson already had his eye on him then. So, what did we miss in the movie? Joe's difficult pre-college life is mostly absent, and worth the read by itself. We also miss Joe's wanderings around Berlin, where he witnesses Germany's horrific treatment of its Jewish population, under its totalitarian leader. Like nearly everything from Hollywood, a bit of romance is thrown in to add spice, but the story shines, throughout the picture. Here and there a bit of drama is added for effect, but personalities presented by the actors conform closely with who they represented. George Pocock really was the sage he seemed in the movie. Don Hume comes across as a bit socially awkward in the movie. A good friend met him several years ago where she worked, and described him as, uh, gruff. The fearless audacity of the team comes through in a story told only in the book. Before sailing to Germany for the Olympics, the team decides to drop in, unannounced, on Franklin Roosevelt at his home. Although they didn't find the president at home, they did spend the evening there. The story behind this movie is too remarkably wonderful to be fiction. See the movie, but by all means read the book!

I loved book, I saw the PBS documentary, but was sorry to see early poor reviews for this film. Saw a promo on tv that it was opening on Christmas Day, and snagged a seat, but I had very little expectation that it would be good. Boy, was I wrong! This film held my attention fully, and given the terrible nature of our society right now, it was a total breath of fresh air to be transported to another time and place. Not since Indiana Jones have I felt so fully ensconced in The Great Depression, by the beautiful cinematography, perfect costuming, and fine acting depicting the sheer difficulty of just surviving in the US then. I understand some poignant issues for Joe Rantz needed to be removed from the movie due to time constraints, but all are easily accessible to anyone wanting more information. In short, I have a newfound respect for George Clooney, who made a very fine film.