There have been a tremendous number of movies out this new year and over the holiday break: Mean Girls, Wonka, Anyone But You.
But what about The Boys in the Boat? This movie is a true story about a collegiate level crew team.
Being a part of a crew team comes with basic knowledge of the sport which can help to determine the accuracy of The Boys in the Boat. What does our crew team think about the movie?
“The Boys in the Boat is about the 1936 US rowing Olympic team,” says Nicholas Farrel (‘26). ”They were a group of boys from Washington who beat the Cal bears, the East Coast schools, and eventually the Germans to win the gold medal.”
Technique is key when it comes to rowing. Maximizing the usage of energy is important to lasting all the way to the finish line. “The movie doesn’t go into depth on rowing techniques or important aspects that someone who rows would know,” says Sophie Ricci (‘26), but “I thought it was very entertaining.”
Each year, new members try out for the team. Teammates have to get used to each other and the schedule. Captain Asher Hendricks (‘24) feels that “the movie did not quite portray just how long it took to get the right mix of boys together. It took three years and three classes of rowers to find the right mix. The representation of the rowing itself in terms of technique and boats and training was the high point for me. You could tell that the actors had actually trained quite a bit to be decent in boats….It was okay, as a movie it was 6/10.”
Other teammates agree that the film is largely accurate to the sport. “The time we have to put in [to the season, competitions and training] will be a lot,” said Diya Venkat (‘26). “It also showed the tougher side of rowing. I learnt that we have to love this sport in order to completely win it.”
