Review: The Boat That Rocked

I’ll admit it, I like Richard Curtis. Come on, Love Actually was decent. You liked it, didn’t you? Don’t be shy. Everyone knows everyone liked that film, we just pretend to believe those that say they hate it, when really, as they’re flicking through Sky around christmas time and see it on ITV2, they can’t help but look. It infects you, as does all Curtis’ work, it makes you smile and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

The Boat That Rocked is a departure from Curtis’ usual Romantic Comedy fare. Instead, this is a full-on ensemble comedy centered around, well, men s they run an offshore pirate radio station (named Radio Rock in the film but we all know what it is really). In the line up we have Philip Seymour-Hoffman (above) as The Count, Radio Rock’s Chris Moyles, if you will. Bill Nighy as the station’s eccentric, blunt manager and Nick Frost as a womanising presenter also present in the role-call. As well as some nice, light turns from Rhys Darby, Rhys Ifans , Gemma Arterton and Kenneth Brannagh.

The film is episodic in its structure, there isn’t so much as a plot in sight apart from the ongoing on-shore government battle to have Pirate Radio outlawed. On the boat each set-piece is almost entirely detached. It’s like a sketch show with the same characters again and again. And yet it doesn’t tire. The characters involved and the weight of the names in this film pull it right up to a fantastic comedy. Admittedly with such a structure there are tricks to be missed. For instance, I would really have liked to see more of a focus on The Count’s rivalry with Rhys Ifan’s character Gavin. after all, it was funny but it didn’t seem as deep as it could have been.

It was this along with an extended running time which prevent The Boat That Rocked from being a truly wonderful film. It’s a wonderful, light spring romp with plenty of laughter, but if you want something to really get your teeth into, look elsewhere.

Rating: ****
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