The Boat That Rocked
Reviewed by Webmaster 1st May 09
Our review on the great film "The Boat That Rocked"...
The Boat That Rocked
Starring: Bill Nighy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost and Rhys Darby.
Set in the mid 1960s, The Boat That Rocked is the story of a pirate radio station transmitting pop music to the United Kingdom from a ship berthed in the North Sea.
During possibly the greatest period in the history of popular music, the BBC would only play a few hours of pop music each week. If the thought of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles being ignored during their heyday sounds ridiculous, it seems music lovers of the day felt so too. Estimates suggest up to 25 million music lovers would tune in every week to hear the music which the government of the day deemed too decadent for public consumption.
Director Richard Curtis (Four Wedding and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually) has used some artistic license to tell the story of this unique aspect of rock and roll history. His fictional ship and radio station 'Radio Rock' is inhabited by an eclectic mix of rock and roll DJs from the charismatic to the odd to the just plain bizarre.
Richard Curtis' previous films proved he was a master at creating light-hearted romantic comedies and The Boat That Rocked continues the trend, with just one exception. Unlike his previous films where love has been the major underlying theme, it seems from this film that rock and roll is what really floats his boat. The film is dominated by one of the best soundtracks you will ever hear and is used more like an extra character than just background noise.
The funny bits come thick and fast and despite the films somewhat risqué subject matter it never delves too far into scandal, making it appropriate for audiences of all ages. Curtis manages to pull back at just the right time when scenes seem to be heading into very dangerous waters, but then allows his amazing cast the room to show off their comedic talents at the right time.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is electric as American import 'The Count', Rhys Ifans moves from those grungy y-fronts in Notting Hill to sex symbol territory as DJ Gavin, Nick Frost is brilliant as the most unlikely sex symbol since Austin Powers and Rhys Darby (Murray from Flight of the Conchords) steals the show as Angus 'The Nut' Knutsford.
If the film does have one flaw it could be the treatment it affords to the opposite sex. There is a distinct lack of female players in the film with the exception of "the pot of honey" (as described by DJ Simple Simon) that arrives from across the sea for a meet and greet with the boats inhabitants. It is at this point that you have to ask "would any self respecting female really sleep with Nick Frost, even if he was a world famous DJ?"
The Boat That Rocks has a super thin plot and a very corny ending but I dare you to walk out of the cinema without a huge grin on your face. Days after the screening I am still struggling to stop laughing at the very thought of it.