The Boys in the Boat

Set in the 1930s, The Boys in the Boat follows the rowing team of the University of Washington from its hardscrabble origins during the Great Depression to the Berlin Olympics of 1936. The story centres on Joe Rantz, a young man with little to his name who earns a place in the crew, and on Coach Al Ulbrickson, who has to decide which eight rowers will represent the university and the country on the sport's biggest stage. Boat builder George Pocock is among those shaping the team, and the film traces the group's progress from overlooked outsiders to Olympic contenders.

George Clooney directed the film, the ninth he has directed, following The Tender Bar. Mark L. Smith wrote the screenplay, and Clooney produced alongside Donna Gigliotti and Grant Heslov. Joel Edgerton plays Ulbrickson, with Callum Turner as Rantz; Peter Guinness, Sam Strike, Thomas Elms and Jack Mulhern are also among the 34 credited cast members. The production, backed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Amazon MGM Studios, Spyglass Media Group and Smoke House Pictures, cost about 40 million USD and took roughly 54 million USD worldwide.

Audience responses were warmer than critical ones: on IMDb the film holds 7 out of 10 from 30,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.2 out of 10 from 382 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 5.8 out of 10 from 162 reviews.