Review Material Supplied By Zavvi
Richard Curtis is known by millions as the man that brought us smash hit comedies Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually. Both films I enjoyed, but would he continue his fine form with The Boat That Rocked? Only one way to find out, so it’s time for the first music.co.uk DVD review of 2010.
The Boat That Rocked is set in the 1960’s, 1966 to be precise, a year it seems, that was known not only for a certain world cup victory, but as the year England rocked. Yes rock and pop music was big business, especially on Pirate Radio. This story follows the lives, and in some cases loves of the bunch of quite frankly, random DJ’s aboard the good ship Radio Rock, that broadcasts from the North Sea. There are several stories within the plot in this film. The first is the huge popularity of radio rock and the government’ attempts to close it down, the second is ‘Young Carl’ becoming a man, and the third is the general life on board ship.
The cast is headed up by Bill Nighy, who is on fine form and full of his usual blend of dead pan humour. The cast list also includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans, Kenneth Branagh, and Tom Sturridge. Perhaps given the cast list isn’t exactly full of Chippendales, a health warning might be needed, as there are some naked scenes, which didn’t really do anything for me, though Carl as the innocent virgin is quite amusing. Other funny moments include the slightly overcooked hysteria whenever ‘girls’ go onboard ship, Carl finding out his dad is in fact ‘the beast with the beard’, and how listening to radio rock is portrayed as something that’s almost naughty. Watching the government officials get increasingly frustrated with Radio Rock is another highlight, that would be right at home on a comedy sketch show. It’s also heart-warming in a slightly saccharine way, to see how much of an impact pirate radio had on its listeners.
That said, I did find the humour daft, rather than laugh out loud funny, and some of the ‘sex, drugs, and rock n roll’ scenarios I’ve seen many times before. As a film it wasn’t always as original or as amusing as I was expecting, but it was engaging from start to finish, and has a well thought out soundtrack for you all to dance along to. To find out more, why not check out the DVD for yourself on Zavvi.com (Click Here)