Well, I think I can safely say that The Boat that Rocked, aka Pirate Radio, is a UK production making this a foreign film in my book. If anyone is familiar with any of these actors and actresses Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), Bill Nighy (Hot Fuzz), Rhys Ifans (The Replacements), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), Rhys Darby (Yes Man), Jack Davenport [he plays Twatt] (The Libertine) and Emma Thompson (Harry Potter 3 & 4), then you know you’re in for a performance treat.
“The Boat That Rocked,” directed by Richard Curtis (Love Actually,) is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the ’60s and pop music. It’s about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz. Radio Rock — a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea is populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs… [defying] a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation (IMDB).
The following are my thoughts on the movie:
1) The film had a fantastic and eccentric cast who pulled you into the rebellious spirit of the 60s.
2) The movie’s plot seemed split between a love story about a boy and a boat playing illegal rock music. Normally, you can tell what the subplot of the movie is but with this film you kind a little trouble and it definitely bothered me, although the title does give it away. I was hoping to see more boat fighting and resisting authority than a boy trying to fit in and then get laid. This caused the movie to be less fluid and considerably choppy at times.
3) I love rock and roll which means that I have no choice but to enjoy this movie on some level. Plus, rebelling against the British government is something that I probably would have done as well but maybe that’s because I’m American ; )
4) Talulah Riley is extremely cute (it’s the smile).
5) Tom Sturridge, the main character, was as awkward and pathetic as Michael Cera when trying to actually get laid. They both seem as if they were type casted except I would probably say Tom is a little bit braver overall than Cera. Luckily for us, like in Superbad, you don’t have to see Cera in every scene and the case is the same with Sturridge (playing young Carl) in this movie.
6) The movie was not as funny as I was hoping for but delightfully entertaining.
7) The script’s dialogue fit the cast extremely well and you could tell that these guys enjoyed making this movie. They had terrific onscreen chemistry that made all of their scenes together comedic and witty.
Overall, The Boat that Rocked was an entertaining movie that could have been much, much better. This is a must see movie if you like any of the actors casted because I doubt you’ll ever see most of them together in the same film again. Unfortunately, the trailer was slightly deceptive as I had gone in with different expectations that didn’t revolve around romance. Additionally, this is one of those movies that you don’t need to go out of your way to see but if it’s on I wouldn’t turn away from it. Although the Boat was rocked, it was not enough to tip the boat over.
Rating: A witty, ‘fuck authority’ comedy with a great cast whose story doesn’t live up to its full potential.
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