The Boys in the Boat (2023)

Movie Memory Machine

The Boys in the Boat (2023) – Movie Memory Machine

"Who the hell are these guys? Oh, right, they’re the boys in the boat."

Episode Description

In this episode of Movie Memory Machine, Landen and Truman row their way through The Boys in the Boat (2023), George Clooney’s sepia-toned tale of working-class college kids defying the odds at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. While the film attempts to craft an inspirational underdog story, your hosts have a few oars to grind—questioning its historical blind spots, over-reliance on sports movie tropes, and why Jesse Owens was the real story of those Olympics. From the film’s glossy, awards-bait ambitions to its oddly chaste, uninspired execution, this discussion leaves no regatta unchallenged.

Major Cast & Crew

• Director & Producer: George Clooney
• Screenwriter: Mark L. Smith (based on the book by Daniel James Brown)
• Starring:
  • Callum Turner as Joe Rantz
  • Joel Edgerton as Coach Al Ulbrickson
  • Hadley Robinson as Joyce Simdars
  • Chris Diamantopoulos as Royal Brougham

Film Synopsis

Based on a true story, The Boys in the Boat follows Joe Rantz and a ragtag crew of University of Washington rowers as they train under Coach Ulbrickson, overcoming personal hardships and class barriers to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The film paints a portrait of Depression-era America, resilience, and teamwork—though it skims over some of the deeper historical complexities.

Episode Highlights

• A Boatload of Problems – Landen and Truman discuss the film’s lack of character development and how its team dynamic fails compared to classic sports movies.
• Who Gives a Sh*t About This Story? – A deep dive into why this particular Olympic victory was chosen to be told, and whether it deserved the cinematic treatment over other 1936 Olympic moments.
• George Clooney’s Directing Style (or Lack Thereof) – Why The Boys in the Boat feels like an aesthetic filter applied to a Wikipedia summary rather than a film with purpose.
• A Missed Opportunity for Rowing to be Hot – Truman argues the film should have been way hornier, considering the sheer amount of synchronized thrusting involved in rowing.
• The Jesse Owens Factor – How The Boys in the Boat ignores the most historically significant American athlete of the 1936 Olympics.
• Inspirational Sports Speeches™ – An analysis of how the film leans on clichéd motivational monologues instead of crafting an engaging narrative.

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🌊 For a much better underdog sports movie, just watch Cool Runnings.
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