The Boat That Sucked

Rating: 1/10 (25 January 2011)

I don't give the lowest ranking lightly. Especially not to a movie so jam-packed with talented actors, a decent director and the world's greatest setting: a pirate boat that broadcasts rock music in the Sixties. Who wouldn't like to dream oneself away to that place and time? What groundwork for great comedy! But director Richard Curtis opts to go for a bit of listless tomfoolery with famous actors instead. Let me correct myself: director Richard Curtis opts to go for OVER TWO HOURS of listless faffing about. With famous actors.
The story: in 1966, a pubescent boy is sent by his mother to stay with his godfather onboard "Radio Rock", a radio station on a ship obviously modeled on legendary Radio Caroline. Yes, the script is THAT hammy. Various antics ensue. The all-male DJs play various pranks on each other. Every two weeks they are visited by groupies, and, oh yeah, this is the Sixties, so everybody is real loosey-goosey, takes drugs and shags groupies. Richard Curtis must have mistaken the Austin Powers movies for documentaries.