Greetings again from the darkness. It's always disappointing when a book is so interesting and enjoyable to read, only to be followed up by a movie version that doesn't live up to the source material. My son recommended the 2013 best-selling non-fiction novel from Daniel James Brown, and it was truly fascinating to read such an inspirational story around the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Of course, we all know the Jesse Owens story, yet somehow the remarkable and unlikely tale of the University of Washington crew team never received the publicity it earned. Director George Clooney (GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, 2015) and screenwriter Mark L Smith (THE REVENANT, 2015) have attempted to reach a wider audience by adapting Brown's book for the big screen.
The story begins in Seattle during the Great Depression. Engineering student Joe Rantz (an excellent Callum Turner, EMMA., 2020) is behind on his tuition and has had no luck securing work. We learn Joe has been on his own for years, and has remained focused on his education despite living in such poverty that he frequently goes without meals and uses folded newspapers to keep dirt and moisture out of the hole in his shoe sole. His buddy Roger (Sam Strike) informs him of crew tryouts, and a spot on the JV team comes with a job and stipend. No-nonsense coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton) isn't much for motivational speeches and lets the rookies know most won't survive the training to claim one of the eight seats on the boat.
Contradictory arguments can be made that director Clooney either took on too much of the story, or not enough. The result is a middling movie about an incredibly inspirational story of underdogs reaching the highest levels of achievement. Included here are only brief glimpses of the personal life of Coach Ulbrickson and his pertinent past, the motivation and wisdom of boat maker George Pocock (screen vet Peter Guiness), and the blossoming romance between Joe and Joyce (up and coming Hadley Robinson, LITTLE WOMEN, 2019). However, the biggest gap here is the connection and camaraderie between Joe and his teammates. The importance of working together "as one" is preached, but we aren't privy to how this happened so quickly. Skimming over this is the film's major flaw, as that bond is the key to their growth and success. By the end of the film, most will only recall Joe's name and two or three other faces on the team.
The racing scenes on the water were surely challenging to film, and come across as realistic, even though we know these are actors and not world class athletes. The rich versus poor element is touched on, as are the politics which, yes, even existed in sports 90 years ago. Initially it's the newcomers against legendary coach Ky Ebright (Glenn Wrage) and his favored team from Cal, and then it becomes the blue-collar Washington boys against the Ivy League elites … before heading to Berlin. The Olympics give us swastikas, a cheesy meet between the boys and Jessie Owens, and Daniel Philpott reprising his portrayal as Hitler from "The Crown", only with more outlandish mannerisms.
The radio broadcasts provide a nostalgic look of how challenging it was to keep up with things during the era, and the newsreels are another nice touch. For those who have never been part of a crew, the term coxswain is likely a new one, and Clooney includes actual photos of the team over the closing credits. The memorable quote is "We were never eight, we were one", but for some reason director Clooney thought it a good idea to have a lame framing device set in more modern times around this historic tale. Somehow, we don't feel the adrenaline rush we should during this movie as it falls short of Oscar winner CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981), perhaps the film that Clooney was attempting to mimic.
Opening in theaters nationwide on December 25, 2023
WATCH THE TRAILER
No comments:
Post a Comment