The Boys in the Boat ★★½

IF ONLY George Clooney could transfer his on-screen charisma to films he just directs.

The American has made several films, none of which have registered highly with critics and audiences.

It’s not the material he chooses, but rather the care that’s taken with it.

Biographical sports drama The Boys in the Boat is a good example.

Based on a book by Daniel James Brown, it follows the University of Washington rowing team’s 1936 Olympics campaign.

The two main real-life characters are coach Al Ulbrickson Sr. and young rower Joe Rantz.

Unlike many of his teammates, Joe (Callum Turner) is a battler and the film nicely depicts his struggles to break out of his poverty and succeed.

The other main story strand is Coach Ulbrickson’s constant battle to hold onto his job in the face of powerful, rich people who think somebody else could do better.

Joel Edgerton is fine as Ulbrickson.

But that’s pretty much the end of the positives because, unlike most sports dramas, the required level of emotion just isn’t produced on screen.

This is the pinnacle of sport at a time of rising tension around the World and yet you don’t feel much at all.

We’re talking the Olympics where Jessie Owens stunned Hitler by showing up his white Aryan invincibility belief, yet I don’t recall there even being a Jewish character among the Americans in Clooney’s film.

Most of the other guys in the boat may as well be automatic pats for all we find out about them.

It depicts an interesting story but not in enough of an interesting way and is certainly no Chariots of Fire.

Watched on Prime.