George Clooney Talks BOYS IN THE BOAT: An Underdog and ‘Beautiful Love Story’
By Movieguide® Contributor
George Clooney opened up with Yahoo! Entertainment about THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, the newest movie he directed, and how he relates to the underdog story and admires the “beautiful love story” it tells.
The movie tells the true story of how an unlikely college rowing team took gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
“I grew up in a small town in Kentucky and the idea to absolutely, completely surpass any dream I could have ever had as a career [was unthinkable]. So I can always relate to the underdogs in that way,” Clooney told Yahoo! Entertainment.
One of Clooney’s leads in the movie, WARRIOR actor Joel Edgerton, agrees with Clooney, but he has his own take on the public’s affinity for underdog stories.
“When talking about underdogs, I really never imagined that I would amount to a hill of beans, ever,” Edgerton said.
He told Movieguide®, “I have a big theory that we all…deep down think we’re underdogs. You know everything we face in life, in work and relationships and finance, and that we’re all facing a looming obstacle and that we’re not worthy, and I think that’s why we love an underdog story. I think we love getting our spirit and our energy and our enthusiam and good will behind people who don’t look like they’re going to win.”
Edgerton added that one of the things he loves about the film is that it displays how privilege allows people to get ahead of the game when others can’t. Even though the rowing team was “bottom of the barrel” at their college, they still got to attend the school when many didn’t.
Clooney opened up about the significance of displaying the impactful love story between rower Joe Rantz and Joyce Simdars in the movie.
Forbes noted that the couple were married for the remainder of their lives after Rantz’s team won gold.
“They were married for 64 years, 65 years, something like that. It’s a beautiful love story,” Clooney said. “Seeing the two of them together…it’s important when you see people who are loved. That helps. It helps put things in perspective.”
Actress Hadley Robinson, who played Simdars, said, “They have such a beautiful relationship in real life, and it’s all there in the book [that the movie was based on]. They’d known each other since they were kids, and they were sort of each other’s support system as friends growing up. Then she sort of followed him to school, and they rekindled things, and it’s just this slow, beautiful building of trust, which you can hopefully see in the movie.”
Callum Turner, who plays Rantz in the movie, told Screen Rant that he felt inspired by the love story he helped portray.
“I mean, it’s the truest love story ever,” Turner said. “I mean, they live together for 50 years. Married and have a beautiful family, and I was just so inspired by the way that he’s so hurt as a human being and sees that ray of light that just comes in and inspires him and gives him a reason to live.”
Check out Movieguide®’s full interview here:
Part of Movieguide®’s review reads:
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT is based on a book about the inspiring real-life University of Washington’s rowing team during the great depression. The movie specifically focuses on the lives of Joe Rantz, who has been on his own since a child. Joe needs a job to survive and stay at college, and tries for the rowing team as it promises room, board and a scholarship. When Joe makes it on the team, he is excited and determined to stay on the team and work hard. Joe is able to overcome his circumstances and bring honor to his name, his country and his team.THE BOYS IN THE BOAT is very entertaining, well-acted and well-made. It tells an inspiring, patriotic, uplifting true story with some strong biblical, moral, redemptive, and patriotic themes. The main character in the movie has to learn to give up his pride and work as a teammate. The movie is extremely refreshing as it has a relationship with a man and woman that is wholesome. However, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT has some gratuitous foul language. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
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