Review: The Boat That Rocked

The Boat That Rocked is about a fictional literal pirate radio station that was the only source for rock and roll in the '60's in the UK going to war with the stuffy bureaucrats who want to shut them down.

As any ensemble movie, the cast is the greatest thing about this movie. First off you have Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Kenneth Branagh, highly respected actors who are as funny as people think they are dramatic. Hoffman has actually gone down that road before, and Branagh proves to be the bigger surprise. The rest of the cast is well-rounded with British funny men. Bill Nighy is incredibly dry and sarcastic, but he is no slouch in the dramatic department. He is like the lost member of Monty Python. Nick Frost, of Shaun of the Dead fame, Rhys Darby, of "Flight of the Conchords," and Chris O'Dowd and Katherine Parkinson, of "The IT Crowd," all performing exceptionally. Rhys Ifans ends the cast as the strangely sexy hipster rival of Hoffman's The Count character. Tom Sturridge really shines as the film's main character, Young Carl. Young Carl is an awkward virgin British teen who comes aboard the boat to find himself sent by his mother, a sexual icon to the DJs, in a very nice cameo by Emma Thompson.

The laughs are of typical British fashion. Well spoken and well planned witticism, sarcasm, and running jokes that never miss a beat. Intertwined throughout the comedy is the message of freedom, morality, youth, and life that is channelled through the great rock music the character's broadcast.

The beauracrats are especially stuff, overly facist at times, but it is a comedy I suppose. At certain moments in the middle of the film, it bogs down with subplots that could have easily been more funny, but they still hold up the heart of the film. Some of the best parts were the montages of the DJs riffing on air, and I assume the actors doing a bit of ad-libbing, I just wish there could have been a little bit more of that. Outside those moments, the jokes and dialog seemed to specifically move the plot forward, not necessarily a bad thing, but with so many comedic performers together I would hope for some spontaneous humor.

The Boat That Rocked is everything great about British comedy and '60's pop music wrapped into a fantastic picture that I recommend to everyone. 8/10