It's time to rock the boat (The Boat That Rocked (DVD))

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	The Boat That Rocked (DVD)
Date:	13/09/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: music

Disadvantages: length

I have to say that films from the house of Richard Curtis tend to be soppy British rom-coms. Whilst these have their own charm, they are not high on the agenda for viewing in my house, yet The Boat that Rocked promised something very different.

This fictional story follows the adventures of a pirate radio station situated in the North Sea in the 1970s. It's a film about music, youth and living the life, and I loved it!

The film is a real feel good movie. In many ways it's totally unrealistic, but it has such a good vibe to it you want it to be real. The music is great, the plot is uplifting and celebratory, and the acting is solid throughout.

Talking of acting, there are some greats in here. It was a real surprise to see Philip Seymour Hoffman, who arguably makes the whole thing. He's not the only big name though - Kenneth Branagh does a fine job, and Rhys Ifans is totally believable in his role as sex god.

A lot of people say this film is all about the music. Well, it's before my time, so it doesn't mean so much to me, but even I recognized much of the iconic soundtrack.

At 135 minutes, it does get a little long, and the ending seems to drag out a bit too much. I couldn't help but feel it was getting a bit too big for its boots and thinking it was something it really was not. Still, just be prepared for a bit of a long ending and I think you'll enjoy the whole thing.

All in all, this is a much more mature movie than you usually get from Curtis, and one that stands up in its own right as a brilliant British movie. It occasionally gets a tad sickly, but the humour that is prevalent throughout forces you to go with it and enjoy the ride.

Summary: do it