Michael’s Movie Grade: C+
An enjoyable if overly familiar sports drama.
Where this film works its best is when it is about the sport of rowing. This movie closely follows the conventions of the typical underdog sports drama. However it also show a clear understanding of why those previous films worked. There is something about watching a group of underdogs learn to work together as a team and beat impossible odds that is immediately appealing and this film knows that. Seeing this group of people who at first constantly fight actually become a team is something that will put a smile on anyone who is a fan of these types of movies. The transition of this team as they grow and learn from each other is quite well done and does not feed rushed or forced. These scenes also benefit from a top notch performance from Michael Shannon as the coach.
Unfortunately the scenes that are not focused on the sport are the ones where the film really shows its faults. The romance never quite works. It is never devolved enough nor is there enough chemistry between the lovebirds for this romance to really work. Worse is the family drama which feels completely forced. One of the characters has a dad who seems to only care about his son for his future in sports. The father character is a completely one note character who feels more like a plot device than an actual character. This movie also has plenty of lines of dialogue that feel forced and like you have heard them plenty of times before.
This will probably be no-one's new favorite sports movie, but it certainly has its charms.
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