My First Movie Review of 2024

 

The first review of the year is for a movie that I saw on the very last day of 2023.  And it took the whole 365 days for me to actually see a great one.  "The Boys in the Boat" was worth the wait.  And it was the best film of the year for me.

"The Boys in the Boat" is one of those movies that unabashedly lives in another simpler era both literally and stylistically.  The story is a true one that few people (even me) knew about.   A junior varsity college crew from the state of Washington inexplicably winds up competing for the Olympic Gold medal in 1936 Berlin.  Yes, that's the same Olympics where Jesse Owens competed in front of Adolf Hitler.  And we sit both of them in this movie for a little bit.   But that's not the story at hand.

When was the last time you went to the cinema and had a "feel good" movie?  Under the solid direction of George Clooney, "The Boys in the Boat" feels like it was made in 1944.  Trust me, that's a good thing.  Indeed, I have seen some reviews of this film that scold Clooney for doing some flag waving for our country.   Well, here's one viewer that adores that.   And we need to have more of that.

Because this is set in the history books, Clooney sticks to the facts and doesn't alter them.   In other "more woke" hands, you might have found a girl or a gay person or somebody a bit more diverse on that rowing team.   But there wasn't and Clooney, even from his left leaning background, resists the urge to rewrite the record books.   Bravo, George!

This is a tight story with little excess.   The story mainly focuses on the coach and several of the team members' personal tales.   But there isn't a lot of fat on the screen.   Clooney puts this together methodically and beautifully.  And, even though you're pretty sure of a happy ending, he manages to ratchet up some tension at the end just like Ron Howard did with the closing reel of "Apollo 13."  That is masterful on both counts.

What was also enjoyable was the cast of actors that were all new and fresh faces for me.  That works in the film's favor as you get to meet them as characters for the very first time.   This is not a star turn, except maybe for the director who proves once again he is not just People's Sexiest Man of the Year.

Again, if you're looking for a movie that will hit you over the head with a message, this ain't it.  Except perhaps unless the message is...

It's okay to smile and cheer at the end of a movie.

LEN'S RATING:  Four stars.

Dinner last night:  Pork tenderloin and red cabbage.