Last night, 16th April 2024, again on Amazon Prime, I watched The Boys in the Boat, a film, directed by George Clooney, about the American rowing eight that competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
It was hugely predictable but nevertheless enjoyable. What follows may constitute a spoiler but, given the predictability of the film, I doubt it does. I myself was in little doubt of the eventual outcome from the start.
It was the story of the triumph of the underdog.
To emphasise the underdogness of the hero, protagonist Joe is shown waking up in an abandoned car in Hooverville before making his way to University where he can’t afford to eat. The real Joe Rantz had been living on his own (after his mother died and his difficulty with his stepmother) from the age of 15 - 14 in the film - in a half-finished house abandoned by his father. He joins the University rowing team because it offers him a job (whatever happened to the amateur ethos in the Olympics?) His boat is the junior eight, regarded as a scratch team - the real Joe was in the freshman eight and then the sophomore eight before this - but nevertheless they are selected above the senior boat to compete in Olympic trials which, against the odds, they win. Now, of course, hurdles are placed in their way:
- Firstly, they are expected to fund their trip to Berlin so they have to raise $5000 which they do by the 1930s equivalent of crowd-funding.
- Secondly, Joe has a minor rebellion and is kicked out of the boat and must beg the coach for his seat back.
- Thirdly, the stroke comes down with a virus, or stomach bug.
- Fourthly, despite posting the best time in the heats, which should entitle them to the best lane, they are placed on the outside, suffering a disadvantage of two lengths from the prevailing wind.
- Fifthly, because of their position on the outside, the coxswain of the boat can’t hear the starter’s orders and so they start late.
Of course it ends in a photofinish. And of course they win.
And of course they meet Jesse Owens, on his way to Olympic immortality and more or less the only black face in the film.
The whole thing might as well have been taken from the manual on how to write a screenplay. But the formula worked.
Other critics felt it was a “bit old-fashioned”. The Phoenix Film Critics Society said it was the most overlooked film of the year and it was nominated for best original score for the International Film Music Critics Award. It also won the ‘truly moving picture’ award from Heartland Film. 1MDb rated it 6.9/10 and it got 58% on the Tomatometer.
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