The underdog sports drama is a beloved movie genre, with its latest entry being The Boys in the Boat directed by George Clooney. This based-on-a-true-story tale is set to be one of the last new movies of 2023 that audiences are going to get a chance to see.
The Boys in the Boat is based on a New York Times bestselling book from Daniel James Brown and focuses on a sport that hasn't been in many movies before, rowing. But there are many classic movies that tell inspiring stories of less heralded sports, like Breaking Away (cycling), Searching for Bobby Fischer (chess) and Cool Runnings (bobsled). The Boys in the Boat will try to do the same for rowing with its inspiring story of a team overcoming many obstacles.
Here is everything you need to know about The Boys in the Boat.
The Boys in the Boat release date
The Boys in the Boat is a Christmas present for movie fans, as it premieres exclusively in movie theaters on December 25 in the US. It is going to release in the UK on January 12.
The Boys in the Boat plot
Based on Brown's non-fiction novel of the same name, here is the official synopsis for The Boys in the Boat:
"The Boys in the Boat is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world."
The script was written by Mark L. Smith.
Brown's book was previously used as a source for a PBS documentary, The Boys of '36, which is available to watch on the PBS website, on Prime Video with the PBS Documentaries channel or via digital on-demand.
The Boys in the Boat cast
Headlining The Boys in the Boat cast is Joel Edgerton. The Australian actor first broke came on the radar of mainstream audiences when he appears as Uncle Owen in the Stars Wars prequels (a role he'd reprise for Obi-Wan Kenobi), but has since starred in Warrior, The Great Gatsby, Loving, Boy Erased, The Green Knight, Thirteen Lives and Master Gardener.
Another name that audiences may recognized is Callum Turner, who has starred in War & Peace, The Fantastic Beasts franchise and Emma.
Here is who else you can expect to see in The Boys in the Boat and whole they are playing:
- Joel Edgerton as Al Ulbrickson
- Callum Turner as Joe Rantz
- Hadley Robinson (Winning Time) as Joyce Sidmar
- Sam Strike (EastEnders) as Roger Morris
- Thomas Elms (Skymed) as Chuck Day
- Joel Phillimore (The Bay) as Gordy Adam
- Tom Varey (Fifteen Love) as Johnny White
- Wil Coban (Origin) as Jim McMillan
- Bruce Herbelin-Earle (Free Rein) as Shorty Hunt
- Jack Mulhern (Mare of Easttown) as Don Hume
- Luke Slattery (New Amsterdam) as Bobby Moch
- Chris Diamantopoulos (Mrs. Davis) as Royal Brougham
- James Wolk (Ordinary Joe) as Coach Bolles
The Boys in the Boat trailer
MGM has released the official trailer for The Boys in the Boat, previewing the inspiring true sports story. Watch it directly below:
Also check out the behind-the-scenes feature right here:
You can also see a sneak peek of the movie with these special clips:
The Boys in the Boat reviews
The review for The Boys in the Boat are coming in. While publications like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety gave the move a "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, overall it is rated as "Rotten" (as of December 15) with an overall score of 46%.
George Clooney movies
George Clooney is known to most for his acting roles, but the Oscar-winning actor has actually been just as active behind the camera in recent years, both as a producer and a director. Here is the list of movies that Clooney has directed so far in his career:
- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
- Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
- Leatherheads (2008)
- The Ides of March (2011)
- The Monuments Men (2014)
- Suburbicon (2017)
- The Midnight Sky (2020)
- The Tender Bar (2021)
