Mighty Mary (2026)

This is a slick and largely by the numbers documentary about the 1994 attempt to have a boat crewed entirely by women compete for the America's Cup. 

Narrated by both Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman MIGHTY MARY is everything we have come to expect by a feel good sports documentary. This is a film that wants to make us feel good, even as the story takes turns that I didn't expect. Its a film that does what it does really well while breaking no new ground.

And for most of the running time I was perfectly fine with the film and it's breezy style. The trouble came about an hour into the film where the story changed and the tale of the all women's team became all women and one man. Its a move that alters how the rest plays out and how the story of the the first crew of all women to compete becomes something else.

My problem is not with what happened, after all you can't argue with history. The problem for me is that the tone of the doc largely remains the same as it was before that. Instead of taking a hard look at what happened, the film just kind of reflects for a moment and then just crashes forward singing the dame happy tune.  

It didn't feel right.

The refusal to deal with the change of crew by shifting tone lessened the film. It makes the whole thing feel like the money guys changing the game plan seem like it didn't matter, even if it did.

I was disappointed. The result was I liked this film instead of loving it.