"Heart of Champions"

 2021 * PG-13 * 1h 59m

Confession: I work out on a rowing machine every day. While rowing I watch a movie to thwart the boredom. And that counts for the massive amount of movies I watch every year. That said, it was pretty amusing to watch a movie about actual rowing while doing it on a machine! And, this is probably the first rowing movie I've ever ween. What an engaging film it turned out to be. 

The story involves a bunch of seniors at an Ivy League college. They never actually name the school, but by the letter "B" on their uniforms, I'm guessing it's Brown. They're all on a rowing team and regularly finish in last place in competitions. One day a new coach arrives. and shakes things up.  Michael Shannon plays Coach Murphy, an army vet who as you'd expect, instills a spirit of teamwork and discipline among the kids. He's a hard-ass, but quickly earns the respect of his rowers. 

This isn't just one of your typical "underdog bunch of misfits make good" stories. It's a lot more complicated and involves the relationships between the crew members, and their relationships with their girlfriends. I thought the acting was quite good. And the soundtrack was a bit Chariots of Fire-ish which I didn't mind. I also enjoyed the cinematography--you really got a sense of what it's like to be out on the river with the crew rowing your heart out. 

If you enjoy Heart of Champions, I highly recommend the book, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. It's the true story of the Washing State rowing team that competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. It's such an amazing read it makes me wonder why it's never been made into a movie. 

Four out of five stars. 

Currently streaming on Kanopy (for free with your library card), and on STARZ and Prime Video.