On B List of Movie Reviews

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The Boy in Blue (1986)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 2/26

BoyBlue
2/26: I'm really on a serious mission of completing every Nicolas Cage film made before 2000, and The Boy in Blue has to be the toughest to locate.

Interestingly, it's about sculling, a term I had never heard in my life. Today, we call it rowing, and it involves an oar per hand; if it was two hands, that would be "sweeping." Was the sport that popular during the 18th century? I have no idea.

Ned Hanlan did exist in real life. He hailed from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was a world sculling champion for five consecutive years, having been often challenged to a match wherever. Overall, his record was 294-6. Unfortunately, The Boy in Blue makes up too much stuff about him. Therefore, it's not an accurate biography.

The tone is uneven with the first half being semi-ridiculous. I was hoping it would be like Chariots of Fire, but the story is rather juvenile as in "boy meets girl, she rejects him, he gets depressed but eventually runs after her, they have a fight" again and again. Largely sidelined, rowing is sometimes featured.

At his most buff as evidenced in the movie poster, Nicolas Cage does his best and supplies a Rocky-like training montage at one point but is no Canadian. Christopher Plummer is a good choice as his nemesis. I thought at first the actress was Elizabeth Berridge of Amadeus, but it's actually Cynthia Dale. The photography by Pierre Mignot is nicely done throughout, allowing the film to earn weak '6' from me.

All in all, The Boy in Blue isn't bad for an early Nicolas Cage or a rowing picture but fails to be in the same league as Chariots of Fire given the potential.