I can think of very few films with a more enticing soundtrack than THE BOAT THAT ROCKED (aka PIRATE RADIO), and for that alone it is worth watching. Other pluses include assured direction and photography, and very good acting by all, including shiny small parts by Branagh and Thompson.
Dialogue is good, with some very sharp one-liners, but the film is needlessly long, especially at the end, when the boat sinks, a sequence that is milked to death. Were that sequence economical enough to shorten the movie by 10 minutes, I would have easily given this film one more star. Alas, 7/10 is the most I can give to a film that is otherwise great fun to watch.
The Boat That Rocked
2009
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music
The Boat That Rocked
2009
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music
59% - Critics
71% - Audience
7.4
Synopsis
This movie is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the 1960s 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 wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves. The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Quentin (Bill Nighy), the boss of Radio Rock - a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Gavin (Rhys Ifans), the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Dave (Nick Frost), an ironic, intelligent, and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation. —Production office
Uploaded By: OTTO
March 23, 2015 at 02:28 PM
Director
Cast
Gemma Arterton as Desiree
Kenneth Branagh as Sir Alistair Dormandy
January Jones as Elenore
Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Count
Movie Reviews
Reviewed by
Good fun but unnecessarily long
Reviewed by
Comedy 'based on a true story'
Even my vision is enough to see what a strong idea inside this movie, and obviously the film crew didn't bring everything they want into the film. But it's not the only problem: That Boat That Rocked is also too long story/too boring in some moments, and I couldn't forgive it.
Reviewed by
Entertaining (just), but a missed opportunity
This is slapstick farce woven from the corniest threads of the British comedy genre.
Parents should think carefully before encouraging anyone over 12 to watch it.
Great acting talent that could have been employed to talk about serious issue of artistic and political freedom, without sacrificing any entertainment value. The actual events of the time raised serious issues, but in this script everything (including the massive public support for free radio) is used only as prop for joke.
All the figures are caricatures with no depth and it is frustrating to think what Brannagh and Nye might have brought to a less childish script.
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