The Boat That Rocked: DVD Review

The Boat That Rocked: DVD Review

The Boat That Rocked
Starring: Bill Nighy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Darby, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd, Kenneth Branagh
Universal Home Video
Rating: M
The swinging Sixties get yet another revisiting in this comedy "romp" from Richard "I'm single handedly responsible for Hugh Grant" Curtis.
It's 1966 when British radio wouldn't play much music to a public which clearly was living the pop music boom.
So the pirate radio industry is singlehandedly led by Radio Rock, a boat in the North Sea which doubles as a radio station complete with a gang of ramshackle DJs and a never ending supply of records, booze and babes.
18 year old Carl is dragged onboard to spend time there after his mother decides he needs straightening out (though quite why a pirate radio station replete with immature jocks and all manner of debauchery is the best place is anyone's guess)
However, Carl's not prepared for what's ahead as he's thrown into a world of hedonism and swinging sixties love and rock and roll.
But it's not all plain sailing for Radio Rock - Kenneth Branagh's evil Minister Dormandy is determined to scupper the scourge of the airwaves and rid the radio of the pirates.
The Boat That Rocked isn't a bad film - it's clearly in need of a bit of trimming and could have done with a beefier plot befitting of its truly excellent ensemble cast and superb soundtrack, which brilliantly evokes the sixties.
Unfortunately what emerges from Curtis' script is a somewhat bloated and beached affair which sees continual shots of people dancing by the radio and the antics of the DJs reduced to extended comedy moments.
I don't doubt the crew had a blast making this film - but without much of a story to go on, you can't help but feel that you're a little excluded from the fun and frivolity.
Extras: 11 deleted scenes, and commentary by Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd, Hilary Bevan Jones and Richard Curtis.

Rating: 4/10