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United Kingdom 2008
Directed by
Richard Curtis
129 minutes
Rated MA

Reviewed by
Sharon Hurst
3 stars

The Boat That Rocked

Synopsis: In the 1960s, the golden age of pop, Britain’s BBC radio broadcast a mere two hours of it a day. However those who cared tuned into the pirate radio stations broadcasting from boats anchored just outside of British territorial waters. While a rag tag bunch brought the devil’s music to British youth, MP Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) was hell-bent on shutting them down.

Richard Curtis (writer of Notting Hill and director of Love Actually) grew up in this era when British kids went to bed listening to pirate music on transistor radios under their pillows. Iconic bands such as The Stones, The Kinks and The Beatles, as well as solo artist such as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix were adored by the avid fans. The joy that this music gave is captured and reflected from the film’s opening moments with The Kinks blaring out "All Day And All Of The Night", while a montage of joyous dancing and air-guitar playing fills the screen, setting the mood for what follows.

Carl (Tom Sturridge) is a trouble-making teen sent to the ship by his mother (Emma Thomson) in the hope that he’ll straighten out. Slim chance with the bad influence of his godfather and station manager, Quentin (Bill Nighy).  We then meet the motley crew polluting the airwaves with the rock and pop that thrilled mainland audiences. Amongst them are much-derided New Zealander, Angus, (Flight of the Conchord’s Rhys Derby),  Simon (Chris O’Dowd), whose quest for love will lead him to heartache, and The Count (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).

Women, coming for R’n’R with the DJs, visit the ship by the boatload yet this is all handled in a very “nice” way depicting the sexual exploits as something sweet rather than sordid.  There is a deliciously nasty plot turn when Simon finds the girl of his dreams only to have that bubble hilariously burst.

Hoffman is, as ever, a consummate character actor, infusing his Count with real passion for his fight against the government, the dapper Nighy is irrepressibly off-beat, Rhys Ifans shines as the vain sleaze-bucket Gavin, whilst Kenneth Branagh brings plenty of his trademark stuff-shirted bluster to the pompous politician who sees all teen music as the devil’s work.

The plot gets somewhat melodramatic towards the end and even enters the realm of implausibility, but the fun never dims for an instant. With classic songs like "My Generation","Friday On My Mind", "Dancing In The Streets" and more, all of which transport one instantly back to another time, what is not to enjoy in this highly entertaining, if over long, film? 

 

 

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