DVDs in Review

The Boat That Rocked

Title: The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Release date: September 7 2009

Certificate: 15

Format: Reviewed on DVD, available on Blu-ray

DVD RRP: £19.99

Rating: 3.5/5

'The Boat That Rocked' captures a brief period in British music whereby the classic rockers of the golden 1960s era (The Stones, Beatles, Who, Kinks, Yardbirds etc) were at the top of their game but finding their tunes on stuffy, safe BBC radio stations was a luxury.

Nowadays, rock radio stations are nothing new but back then they were outlaws, or more precisely, pirates. One pirate ship broadcasted these classic songs 24/7 from the North Sea, resulting in a wildly popular fan base that turned their portly presenters into national celebrities and drew scorn from the government.

Richard Curtis ('Love Actually', 'Notting Hill') tells this story with far too much nostalgia than is required, but with such a brilliant cast at his disposal, it's hard not to succumb to its charm.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (known more for hard hitting drama like 'Doubt' and his Oscar winning turn in 'Capote') gets a chance to do away with his trademark coiled, simmering anger and just have a blow out. It's an inspired, risky bit of casting, and one which keeps this ship on course.

He's joined by the likes of  Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans and Bill Nighy as his comrades, while two more excellent British actors (Kenneth Branagh and Jack Davenport) get a chance to play the silent-screen-esque comic-book style villains hired by the government to try to shut them down.    

The cast is in place but the script takes a detour from Curtis' usual economy and restraint. 'The Boat That Rocked' is bloated, with too many throwaway characters and silly situations. Like the ship itself, it feels out of control and untamed, which isn't a bad thing, but this one overstays its welcome by nearly half an hour.

It feels like 'The Life Aquatic' but with an even better soundtrack. The trouble is that 'The Life Aquatic' had a far more engaging plot and intriguing characters, instead of just being outlandish and fun-loving for the sake of it. It's also incredibly clichéd when it comes things like the classic 'quiet son seeking his mystery father' subplot, which again 'The Life Aquatic' handled much more eloquently.

See it for the music, the performances and the atmosphere. As a film, it leaves quite a bit to be desired, but for those who love that period of music this is one trip back in time that offers a bounty of rewards. The DVD contains a massive amount of deleted scenes (further proof that nobody was really being strict) and a commentary.