George Clooney returns to the director’s chair with “The Boys in the Boat”, a biographical sports drama based on the true story of working class University of Washington rowers who defied all odds to represent the United States in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. The film is written for the screen by Mark L. Smith (“The Revenant”) who is adapting Daniel James Brown’s 2013 nonfiction book of the same name. It’s really good material.

Whether he hits or misses his marks, I’ve mostly enjoyed Clooney’s classical directing style (a style that’s rarely as appreciated today as it once was). With “The Boys in the Boat” he has delivered one of the bigger surprises of the year – a film with the kind of old-fashioned crowdpleaser quality that still resonates for many of us. It tells yet another inspirational underdog sports story yet one rich with humanity. And it takes place within a period setting that’s captured with impeccable authenticity.

Standing out among the film’s many strengths is the tough yet affecting performance from Callum Turner. He brings grit and pathos to the character of Joe Rantz. Abandoned by his father shortly after his mother died, Joe has been raising himself since he was 14-years-old. Set in 1936, we meet Joe living in the hull of a rusted out car. Each day he walks from his homeless community in Seattle to the University of Washington where he’s working on a degree in engineering.

But Joe gets some bad news. He still owes for his current semester and he’s given two weeks to pay his balance or he’ll be kicked out. Desperate and unable to find a part-time job, Joe decides to try out for the rowing team after being told he can earn some money. He joins dozens of other young men vying for the eight open spots on Washington’s junior rowing crew. Overseeing the grueling tryouts is former rower and seasoned university coach Al Ulbrickson (a terrific Joel Edgerton).

To no surprise Joe makes the team which gets him in a dorm and helps pay for his school. But he quickly learns that rowing is all about the boat and the team you put in it. And as a brotherhood forms between the eight young men, they begin to realize some unexpected potential. Soon the junior crew is outshining the varsity team leaving Coach Ulbrickson with a decision – does he endure the scorn of his boosters and do the unthinkable? Does he take his junior crew rather than his varsity guys to the Olympic qualifiers?

Without question many of the film’s themes are familiar ones. Topics such as defying the odds and overcoming adversity are inherent to stories like this. But that doesn’t make them any less impactful especially when they’re handled as well as they are here. But beyond these more traditional ideas, it’s the movie’s setting that steers it into more unexpected waters.

On the precipice of a Second World War, the 1936 Summer Olympics were held in Nazi Germany. Adolph Hitler saw hosting the event as a means of promoting his party’s antisemitic platform. It’s a necessary part of the film’s true account and Clooney approaches it smartly. He doesn’t linger on the obvious and he doesn’t give in to the urge to spell everything out. Instead he allows us to take it in and absorb it. The scarlet red Nazi banners and black swastikas; the appearance of Hitler himself, and the chilling cheers from the mass of supporters. Clooney lets his images speak rather than spinning us off on an unnecessary side story.

The performances are great throughout. I’ve mentioned Turner who is a revelation and Edgerton who seems to be able to plug into any role and nail it. There’s also a great turn from Peter Guinness who plays a wise old boatmaker and the team’s mentor. Hadley Robinson is utterly charming as Joe’s sweet but forward love interest. And then you have the collection of young actors who bring character and personality to the rowing team. It’s a fine ensemble.

In some ways “The Boys in the Boat” shares a common framework with many other sports movies. But narrowing this one down to just a ‘sports movie’ would be dismissive. There’s so much more to this uplifting and sincerely human feature. The heart-pounding races are brilliantly shot and edited while the production design and costumes help transport us. But it’s Clooney’s ability to create and define the personal stakes as well as deliver satisfying emotional payoffs that make “The Boy in the Boat” more than your run-of-the-mill feel-good sports flick.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS