Summary
George Clooney’s latest directorial effortThe Boys in the Boathas received an outstanding Rotten Tomatoes score of 97%. The celebrated Oscar-winning actor, best known for his iconic leading roles as Danny Ocean in theOcean’strilogy (2001 - 2007) and Matt King inThe Descendants(2011), is also an accomplished director.Clooney made his feature directorial debut with 2002’sConfessions of a Dangerous Mindwhich he starred in alongside Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, and Sam Rockwell. Since then, he has directed a total of nine feature films, including 2023’sThe Boys in the Boat.
The Boys in the Boathas unexpectedly become a streaming hitfollowing its recent streaming release on Amazon Prime Video. The film was initially released in theaters on Christmas Day 2023,earning roughly $55.5 million worldwide against a production budget of $40 million. The Clooney film chronicles the epictrue story of the 1936 United States Olympic rowing teamcomprised of a group of University of Washington college students.The Boys in the Boatis based on the 2013 book of the same name and featuresan outstanding cast led by Joel Edgerton(The Gift,The King) and Callum Turner (Masters of the Air).
The Boys In The Boat’s Success Is A Reminder Of The Critics/Audience Split On Clooney’s Recent Movies
Clooney’s recent films have received more praise from audiences than critics
The Boys in the Boatreceived a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of just 57% based on 158 reviews, continuing a trend among films directed by Clooney that tends to see high audience scores and mixed critical reception.
WhileThe Boys in the Boathas become a streaming hit on Amazon Prime Video and has amassed an impressive 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the Clooney film ultimately received mixed reviews from critics.The Boys in the Boatreceived a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of just 57% based on 158 reviews, continuing a trend among films directed by Clooney that tends to see high audience scores and mixed critical reception. In fact,it’s Clooney’s second movie in a row as director to do that following 2021’sThe Tender Bar, which received RT scores of 51% from critics and 70% from audiences.
The Boys in the Boat’simpressive 97% audience score is by far the highest of Clooney’s directorial career. 2005’sGood Night, and Good Luck, which is often considered the best film that Clooney has ever directed, has an audience score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a Certified Fresh critic score of 93%. Apart from 2011’sThe Ides of March, a political thriller starring Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, and Ryan Gosling, all of Clooney’s directorial efforts sinceGood Night, and Good Luckhave either received mixed or poor reviews. The lowest among them was 2017’sSuburbiconwhich received equally poor critic (28%) and audience (26%) Rotten Tomatoes scores.
10 Best Movies Like The Boys In The Boat
The Boys in the Boat tells the true story of the American men’s eight at the 1936 Olympics – read on for movies similar to the 2023 sports drama.
George Clooney Hasn’t Directed A Fresh-Rated Movie Since 2011
Clooney did direct two episodes of the celebrated Hulu adaptation ofCatch-22in 2019
It’s a noteworthy slump for Clooney as a director since the first three of his four films were all praised by critics.
The Ides of Marchwas the most recent Certified Fresh movie that Clooney has directed, earning a critic score of 83% even though its audience score was lower at 73%. It’s somewhat surprising and even a bit concerning thatClooney has yet to direct a film with mostly positive reviews since 2011, considering that he’s directed five feature films during that 13-year time span. It should be noted, however, that Clooney did direct two episodes of the Hulu adaptation ofCatch-22in 2019, which received an 84% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a noteworthy slump for Clooney as a director since the first three of his four films were all praised by critics.
The disparity even among the top critic’s reviews ofThe Boys in the Boatis quite uncommon. Owen Gleiberman ofVarietywrites in his positive review, ““The Boys in the Boat” is a gentleman’s sports movie, with Clooney working hard to make one “like they used to.” He brings it off, even if there’s a lingering quaintness to it all.” On the other hand, Clarisse Loughrey ofThe Independentnotes, “The film struggles to rally any concrete idea of what these athletes should mean to us. Supposedly it’s a film about unity… but cares little for the people beyond its perfunctory protagonist.“A common complaint among critics was the inaccessibility of the characters.
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Why The Boys In The Boats RT Critics & Audience Scores Are So Divided
Audiences enjoyed the classic genre tropes while some critics found them to be hollow
Nowadays, some viewers may find these types of classic movies full of clichés, findingThe Boys in the Boatuninteresting because it repeated genre tropes rather than innovating them.
While critics were clearly divided onThe Boys in the Boat, audiences held the film in a much higher regard. Many of the comments from casual viewers questioned the mixed critical reception altogether, stating that they lovedThe Boys in the Boatfor its great true story, powerfully emotional moments, scenic cinematography, and strong performances. A common takeaway from the movie from both the critical and the causal sides is that the film is relatively simple, feel-good, and ultimately inspirational. Nowadays, some viewers may find these types of classic movies full of clichés, findingThe Boys in the Boatuninteresting because it repeated genre tropes rather than innovating them.
The Boys in the Boat
Cast
The Boys in the Boat is a 2023 sports drama by director George Clooney. The film centers on the 1930s University of Washington rowing team, who train feverishly to win the gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The Boys in the Boat is based on the book of the same name by Daniel James Brown.
