The Boy in Blue

The Boy in Blue is a 1986 Canadian drama film directed by Charles Jarrott and starring Nicolas Cage. The film, which was written by Douglas Bowie and co-produced by Steve North, John Kemeny, and Denis Héroux, was distributed by 20th Century Fox. The filming took place in Quebec and Ontario, Canada, which was eventually released for North American theatres on January 17, 1986. The story is based on a true story about the life of Toronto sculler Ned Hanlan. Plot This drama follows Ned Hanlan (Nicolas Cage), who is known to be a Canadian competitive rowing champion. Ned Hanlan is adopted by a gambler named Bill, who promotes the boy on the sculling circuit for his own monetary gain. As a young man, Ned is very trouble-prone but does not lack the fierce determination needed in his attempt to become a formidable athlete. In this attempt, a businessman named Knox assumes control of Hanlan's career who backs Ned for his own personal gain and discards him when this gain is no longer in sight. Through Knox, Ned meets and falls for the niece of the businessman, Margaret (Cynthia Dale). Hanlan's professional success is capped by his marriage to Margaret. Cast Reception The film was given a various amount of harsh and negative critical reviews. Based on the critique of 941 IMDb users, the film received a rating of 5.4 out of 10. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has no score for critics, but a 45% approval rating for audiences based on 712 reviews.