The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Director:

Richard Curtis

Writer:

Richard Curtis (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

1 Boat. 8 DJs. No Morals.

Plot:

A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960's.

Plot Keywords:

North Sea | Pop Music | 1960s | American | Pirate Radio

Cast

Michael Hadley	...	Mr. Roberts
Charlie Rowe	...	James
Lucy Fleming	...	Mrs. Roberts
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	The Count
Tom Sturridge	...	Carl
Ian Mercer	...	Transfer Boatman
Bill Nighy	...	Quentin
Will Adamsdale	...	News John
Tom Brooke	...	Thick Kevin
Rhys Darby	...	Angus
Nick Frost	...	Dave
Katherine Parkinson	...	Felicity
Chris O'Dowd	...	Simon
Ike Hamilton	...	Harold
Stephen Moore	...	Prime Minister

Also Known As:

Good Morning England (France)
Pirate Radio (USA) (new title)
Radio Rock Revolution (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, and some sexual content including brief nudity.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:7 | Sweden:7 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | France:U | UK:15 | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/12 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Japan:PG12 | USA:R (certificate #45019) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Gambardella's Cafe, Blackheath Standard, London, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

This film is very loosely based on Radio Caroline, a popular pirate radio ship with a similar history and style. It was director Richard Curtis's intention to weave a fictional story around the many pirate stations of that era, rather than base the story on a factual story.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Quentin salutes his crew, The Count salutes him, and in the next shot The Count is raising his hand to salute.

Quotes:

Mark: So, how 'bout it then?

Movie Connections:

References Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Soundtrack:

Dancing In The Street

A toe-tappingly good movie well worth paying to see

I watch a lot of films but have never felt as compelled to review one on IMDb as this. If only because most of the reviews already out there either contain groundless slatings or are badly written.

Yes the soundtrack is amazing and will be a huge success. With artists such as The Kinks, The Turtles, Procol Harum, Cat Stevens, The Hollies, The Who, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Cream it'd be almost impossible not to produce a top quality double-CD album. The right music also seems to come on at all the right times complimenting the movie perfectly.

But I've heard people say the acting was weak and wooden, which is completely unfounded. Admitedly there is a fairly large cast which does mean the plot can never focus on one character for too long and perhaps, in theory, one or two of them should have been cut out. However in practise I can't think of a single character that I wouldn't have missed.

It's only very loosely based on fact but does still manage to educate in the sense that many young people wouldn't even have been aware of the existence of pirate radio before watching. It's a refreshingly original film too, unlike anything out at the moment.

The humour can be childish at times (rude character names, a falling-out-of-bed joke) but only adds to the "this is meant to be fun" tone of the movie and is easily overlooked should it be a pet hate of yours.

Don't let the critics put you off going to see The Boat That Rocked - if you don't have kids and don't live near a 3D Cinema this will be the best film out in theatres and available to see until it stops showing. Certainly worth your time and money.