How to watch The Boys in the Boat

Sam Strike, Thomas Elms, Joel Phillimore, Tom Varey, Wil Coban, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern and Luke Slattery in The Boys in the Boat
Sam Strike, Thomas Elms, Joel Phillimore, Tom Varey, Wil Coban, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern and Luke Slattery in The Boys in the Boat (Image credit: Laurie Sparham/MGM)

The inspirational sports movie is one of the most beloved genres around, and we have a new entry in The Boys in the Boat. In fact, it offers movie fans a look at a sport that has not been overly covered in past sports movies — rowing. But how can you watch The Boys in the Boat?

Before we give you all the details on that, a quick summary: The Boys in the Boat is an inspirational true story about how the University of Washington rowing team went from scrappy underdogs just trying to make it through the Great Depression in the 1930s to competing for Olympic glory at the landmark 1936 games in Berlin. George Clooney is behind the camera as The Boys in the Boat director, with Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner as the leading men of the movie.

Alright, now that you have a primer and a sense of whether or not the movie is something you'd want to see, here's how to watch The Boys in the Boat right now.

How to watch The Boys in the Boat in movie theaters

The Boys in the Boat is still playing in select movie theaters.

The best way to find out where and when The Boys in the Boat is playing is by using a resource like Fandango. The website gives you all of the locations where the movie is playing and available showtimes, allowing you to purchase tickets directly online.

Another option that not only gives you the info on where The Boys in the Boat (and other movies) is playing but also the chance to save some money is movie theater subscriptions and membership programs. These offerings, available in both the US and UK, give movie lovers free, discounted or a monthly allotment of movie tickets, as well as deals on concessions and other movie-going perks.

Is The Boys in the Boat streaming?

You can now watch The Boys in the Boat at home, as the movie is available to rent via digital on-demand, including on Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV.

The movie is not currently available as part of any streaming service. However, we do have a pretty good inkling as to where The Boys in the Boat is going to land when it becomes available for streaming. As an MGM movie, Prime Video seems the most likely spot to have it first seeing as the two are closely affiliated.

What else to know about The Boys in the Boat

The Boys in the Boat is based on the true story of the University of Washington rowing team, but specifically, it is adapted from the book of the same name by Daniel James Brown. Here's the official synopsis:

"The Boys in the Boat is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction book written by Daniel James Brown. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world."

Critics appear to be split on The Boys in the Boat, at least according to Rotten Tomatoes, where the movie has a 54% positive rating (that does technically qualify it as "Rotten" by the website’s benchmark). Though the consensus does seem to agree that there is plenty of heart in the movie, so perhaps it'll be more of a movie fan favorite than a critical darling.

Watch the trailer for The Boys in the Boat right here:

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.