During the Great Depression, the University of Washington rowing team are thrust into the spotlight as they compete against elite teams from around the world at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Based on Daniel James Brown’s non-fiction novel, a film by George Clooney, starring Callum Turner, Sam Strike, Hadley Robinson, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban, Jack Mulhern, Thomas Elms, Thomas Stephen Varey, Joel Phillimore, James Wolk, Peter Guinness, and Joel Edgerton.

Joe Rantz (Callum Turner), a young man studying at the University of Washington during the Great Depression, has faced hardship since childhood. His mother died when he was four years old, and his father abandoned him when he was fourteen. Since then, Joe has been struggling to survive without a home. He is about to get kicked out of the university if he’s unable to find the money to pay for his tuition within two weeks. Jobs are difficult to find, but his friend Roger Morris (Sam Strike) comes up with an idea that could potentially solve many problems: joining the rowing team. The university offer financial support and cheap housing to its team members, making it an attractive option for Joe.

Great Depression (1929–1939) was a severe global economic downturn that affected many countries across the world. It became evident after a sharp decline in stock prices in the United States, leading to a period of economic depression. The economic contagion began around September 1929 and led to the Wall Street stock market crash of 24 October. This crisis marked the start of a prolonged period of economic hardship characterized by high unemployment rates and widespread business failures.

Hundreds of boys show up at A.S.U.W Shell House to try out. Coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton) introduces himself and his colleagues, Coach Tom Bolles (James Wolk) and Coach Brown (Dominic Tighe), before announcing that they are searching for the eight most qualified young men to fill out the Junior Varsity (JV) boat. Over the next few weeks, a majority of them will likely walk away, knowing they’re facing the most challenging team sport in the world.

Joe and Rodger make it onto the team, along with Don Hume (Jack Mulhern), Shorty Hunt (Bruce Herbelin-Earle), Jim McMillin (Wil Coban), Chuck Day (Thomas Elms), Johnny White (Thomas Stephen Varey), and Gordy Adam (Joel Phillimore). The training intensifies, leaving them so exhausted the next day that they fall asleep in class.

Technique is more important than power. You have to be able to pull a perfect oar, stroke after stroke. It’s called swing. When all eight are rowing in such perfect unison that no single action is out of sync with the rest of the boat. Then you aren’t fighting each other. You’re moving with less effort. Each one of your strokes is worth one and a half of the other boat’s. Most crews never find it. But when they do, rowing is more poetry than sport.

Despite the grueling sessions, the JV team shows immense potential. Coach Ulbrickson even believes they are the strongest group he’s ever seen. But something holds them back, preventing them from achieving their full potential. George Yeomans Pocock (Peter Guinness), the designer and builder of racing shells, suggests that these young horses might need a louder jockey. Coach Ulbrickson replaces Glenn Morry (Frankie Fox) with Bobby Moch (Luke Slattery) as their new coxswain. The team rapidly improves, finding their rhythm and heading in the right direction.

At the annual Pacific Coast Regatta, a showdown between the Washington Huskies and the Cal Bears of Berkeley, over 100,000 fans gather to witness the competition. The JV rowing team, facing a race Coach Ulbrickson expects them to lose, receives instructions to stay close to Cal and capitalize on any mistakes. However, Bobby, ignoring his coach’s advice, decides to race for the win. In a stunning turn of events, the JV team pulls ahead, surprising everyone, especially their coaches, and claiming a victory that no one sees coming.

The JV team’s winning streak continues, stacking victories multiple times in a row. Filled with newfound confidence in his boys, Coach Ulbrickson makes a bold decision. He chooses to send the Junior Varsity team, instead of the traditional Varsity crew, to the prestigious Poughkeepsie Regatta, where the University of Washington has remained on the sidelines for nearly two decades. This year, the Poughkeepsie eight-man race offers an even greater prize: automatic qualification for the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics.

The Poughkeepsie Regatta was the annual championship regatta of the U.S. Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) when it was held in Poughkeepsie, New York from 1895 to 1949.

A biographical sports drama film directed by George Clooney from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, adapted from Daniel James Brown’s non-fiction novel of the same name. Chronicling the University of Washington rowing team’s struggles and sacrifices as they train for the 1936 Summer Olympics, ultimately achieving Olympic gold, the novel is a true story of perseverance and triumph.

While the book dedicates significant time to the backstories of the eight rowers before the race, giving viewers a deeper understanding of their personal struggles and motivations, the film, due to time constraints, omits these details except for Joe Rantz, whose background is briefly explored. (In the book, it took three years of training and competing before they actually going to Berlin.) However, some of the intended tension-building scenes feel out of place and leave viewers confused, lacking context or clear purpose. It would be better if the filmmaker found a way to incorporate these elements more smoothly, without disrupting the pacing of the story.

Though initially presented in the film as Rantz’s childhood crush, Joyce Simdars (Hadley Robinson) quickly fades into the periphery, becoming just a sideline character. (In real life, Joe Rantz and Joyce Simdars graduated on the same day from the University of Washington. That same evening, on 27 May 1939, they also walked down the aisle. They remained happily married for 63 years until Joyce’s demise in 2002.)

The race scenes are spectacularly shot, capturing the heart-pounding rhythm of the oars and the electrifying energy of the competition. Close-up shots of sweat-streaked faces and synchronized movements immerse us in the rowers’ grueling effort, while the wide shots of the boats slicing through the water convey the breathtaking speed and agility.

The entire ensemble cast delivers convincing performances, with Callum Turner’s portrayal of Joe Rantz particularly captivating as he embodies the underdog spirit with grit and determination. The BOYS in the BOAT is a film that most people will love, delivering explosive emotions and exhilarating action in equal measure.

The BOYS in the BOAT premiered in Los Angeles on 11 December 2023. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 25 December.