"The Boat That Rocked"

Rating: 6/10 (25 September 2010)

It's 1966, and pirate radio is at its height, broadcasting the most amazing and up-to-date rock 'n' roll there is. On Radio Rock, 18-year old Carl (Tom Sturridge) is arriving to spend time with his godfather, Quentin (Bill Nighy) who runs the ship and the station. Carl's mother (Emma Thompson) thought it would set him on the straight and narrow. Silly Mum...
There is a fundamental problem with "The Boat That Rocked" and that is Richard Curtis. Despite the winning performances from some of his excellent cast and a soundtrack of legends to boot, it just doesn't seem to gel together. The story, perfectly sound at the start of it, seems to drift away and remains unresolved for the most part at the end.
The stereotypes are all here: the loud American (a brilliant Phillip Seymoure Hoffman) and his British counterpart (a wasted Rhys Ifans); the breakfast DJ (an impressive Chris O'Dowd) who, in one of the film's many sub-plots, has his heart broken; the obnoxious prank-puller (Nick Frost, who is pretty unlikable for a lot of this movie); and the stuffy Government Minister intent on destroying Pirate Radio for good (Kenneth Brannagh, another actor not used to his full potential).
The problem really lies in the writing and direction of Curtis. So many times during the film interesting story ideas are set up, some even played through a little bit, but never do we get a satisfying pay-off for any of them. Towards the end of the film it almost becomes clichéd and unbelievable - a love interest of Carl's (Talulah Riley) who plays with his heart quite early on before jumping into bed with Nick Frost's character, returns in the last Act and, hooray, all is forgiven. A rather interesting sub-plot regarding the identity of Carl's father is given all but five minutes before a seemingly loving relationship has been set up.
The final set-piece of the film, though spectacular, sadly betrays the problem with Curtis today. He used to be braver as a writer. In "Four Weddings And A Funeral" (1994), arguably still his best work to date, he had the courage to kill off a crucial character suddenly halfway through the film. When Radio Rock starts to sink due to a massive engine failure, there are perfect chances to kill off several characters and tug at our heartstrings, thereby setting up what could have been a very satisfying end of revenge towards Branagh's character. And yet none of this is evident. The film ends all happy and feel-good, with a David Bowie song that, though excellent, is at least twenty years too late for the film's context.
It's a shame that the film wasn't a little more realistic, or a little braver. Sadly, this seems to be the case with Curtis now. His success with "Notting Hill" (1998) and, to a lesser extent, "Love Actually" (2002) seems to have turned his scriptwriting into golden sugar-coated mulch. The less said about his directing, the better.
A film that is too long and leaves too many loose ends unresolved, that also fails to mention the historical significance in the launch of stations such as Radio 1 in the downfall of pirate radio ships at that time, this boat sadly seems more like a dad dancing than actual rock, saved only by a few winning performances and a great soundtrack.
6/10