The Boat That Rocked

Plot synopsis:
he movie opens with the information that during the 1960s, even though British rock was at its peak, British radio refused to play rock music. This led to the creation of pirate radio stations, which kept their ships anchored off the coast and played rock music 24/7.A boat approaches the Pirate Radio ship and drops off Young Carl (Tom Sturridge), a young man who has been expelled from school for smoking marijuana. He has been sent to spend time with his godfather Quentin (Bill Nighy), who owns the ship, allegedly to straighten him out. Quentin introduces Carl to the rest of the crew: The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an American DJ who is the star of the station; Simon, a slightly awkward guy who dreams of finding romance; John, who does news and weather; Dave, who is extremely popular with the ladies; Angus, whom no one really likes but who runs a "crazy" comedy show; and Felicity, a lesbian who cooks for the boys. Carl is to room with Thick Kevin, who is unbelievably stupid.Carl's first night on the boat is a raucous party and we see scenes of the DJs running their shows spliced with the British people who listen to them. Millions of Britons are tuning in to Pirate Radio, and this greatly disturbs Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), who is put in charge of eliminating the problem of Pirate Radio. With the help of his new assistant, Twatt (Jack Davenport), they begin working to put Pirate Radio out of business.Twatt's first plan is to eliminate funding for Pirate Radio by making it illegal for British companies to advertise with them. Quentin breaks this news to the crew, explaining that in order to try to recoup their losses, he will be bringing in the famous DJ Gavin (Rhys Ifans). This disappoints the Count, who is used to being #1 on the station and is jealous of Gavin.During Carl's time on the boat he meets Mark, the late night DJ who never speaks and is referred to as "the sexiest man in the world." While they are sitting on deck, they begin discussing their conjugal visits: since they never go ashore, and the only woman on board is Felicity, the men each bring out a woman every other weekend. Dave decides that he is going to help Carl lose his virginity by bringing a girl to his room, turning out the lights, and sending Carl in his place. Despite his reservations, Carl goes along with the plan, only to have the girl turn on the light and see him before he even makes it to the bed.Gavin's arrival has brought in international advertising to the station. Dormandy and Twatt are disappointed by the failure of their plan, and set out to find another way to shut down the station. Dormandy gives Twatt a deadline to figure something out, and Twatt leaves determined to find a loophole that will work.Carl's birthday approaches and Quentin invites his niece, Marianne (Talulah Riley), to spend the evening with him. Before he goes to dinner, Carl runs to Dave's room and asks for a condom, which Dave provides. After a successful dinner, Dave stops in and comments, "I see why you wanted that condom!" When Marianne confronts him about this, Carl apologizes, saying he was stupid, and throwing the condom out the window to show good faith. After this display, Marianne kisses him and says, "I think we might need that condom," at which point Carl runs back to Dave to ask for another. Dave is out, but suggests he ask Gavin. Gavin provides him with a condom and some inane advice about being gentle, but forceful, and Carl heads back down to his bunk. Marianne is gone, but he hears a noise from Dave's room, and opens the door to see Marianne in bed with Dave. He leaves, depressed.At breakfast the next morning, an older hippie guy sits down at the breakfast table. The crew looks at him cluelessly, and the Count asks who he is. The man introduces himself as Bob, who does the early morning show. He has been on the ship for two years. They all kind of nod, and when he leaves, one man says, "So that's Bob!"Twatt approaches Dormandy, excited to announce that he has discovered a way to shut Pirate Radio down for good. The radio signals have jammed distress signals from boats, leading to the sinking of one British boat and the deaths of some sailors. They begin to draft a bill to outlaw Pirate Radio in the name of maritime safety.While in his bunk one day, Carl and Kevin are talking and Kevin says he believes that Carl is on the boat not because his mother wants him to straighten up, but because it's time for him to meet his father. Kevin suggests that Quentin is father, and comments "Sometimes I think they should call me Clever Kevin," before falling out of his bunk.Simon, who has become good friends with Carl, is thrilled to announce he is getting married. His new wife, Elenore (January Jones), arrives on the boat and the ceremony is broadcast on the radio. Their first night together is unsuccessful, and the next morning Elenore explains her real reason for marrying him: she and Gavin fell in love, but he wouldn't marry her, and the only way she could get on the boat was if she married a DJ. She only married Simon to get to Gavin, and announces that she'll be moving in with him. Simon is heartbroken and has the marriage annulled. When the crew confronts Gavin, Simon asks if he slept with her before she left, and Gavin admits that he did. The Count decides to take it outside.The Count challenges Gavin to a game of chicken: whoever climbs the furthest up the boat's mast is the winner. Both men reach the top, and Gavin dives from the high point into the water, which forces the Count to do the same or be seen as weak. The next scene is the two men who are severely injured (Count's arm, Gavin's leg, from the fall), speaking on the radio about having settled their differences. Gavin also apologizes to Simon on air.Carl's mother, Charlotte (Emma Thompson), comes to visit for Christmas. On his way to meet her, Carl runs into Bob in the hallway, and says, "Tell your mom that Muddy Waters rocks. She'll know what I mean." Carl spends some time with his mother, who gets along with the rest of the crew, and asks her if Quentin is his father. She laughs and says no. On her way off the boat, Carl delivers Bob's message, to which Charlotte replies, "Oh God, he didn't tell you, did he?" Carl realizes that Bob is his father, but Charlotte leaves the boat before they can discuss it. The next night he goes in during Bob's radio show and says, "I think you're my dad." They never get beyond that because News John arrives and they cannot discuss it openly.The British public is largely against the Maritime Safety bill proposed by Twatt and Dormandy, but they resolve to push it through anyway. They know that Parliament will accept the bill and eliminate the problem.A boat arrives at the Pirate Radio ship carrying Marianne and a friend, Margaret. Margaret is a lesbian, much to the delight of Felicity, who has been alone for some time. Carl and Marianne reconcile and Carl loses his virginity. When he steps outside of the room, the whole crew is waiting for him to hear the details of his first time. They all cheer, as do people across Britain, and Margaret and Felicity peek their heads out of the room down the hall at the noise, which draws more cheering.The Maritime Safety bill passes and Pirate Radio is to be shut down at the new year. Dormandy is thrilled with the result.The crew learns of the shutdown of their station and is disheartened, but resolve to keep going with the station--eventually all agreeing to damn the law and play the music. At midnight on New Year's, Dormandy, his family, and Twatt are listening to the end of Pirate Radio. They go silent at midnight, to toasts from Dormandy and Twatt, but a minute later come back full swing. Enraged, Dormandy sends Twatt and several boats out to arrest the men.When Twatt and the naval officers arrive at the place where Pirate Radio docks, they find a fishing boat instead. Pirate Radio is on the move. Unfortunately, as they're moving, their engine explodes, which will cause the ship to sink. During the sinking, they continue to broadcast, asking for help and giving their coordinates between songs. Twatt phones Dormandy to ask if they should help, and Dormandy says no.Carl runs down into the sinking ship to find Bob, and manages to pull him to safety but forcing him to leave his record collection. While on the deck of the sinking ship, the men talk with each other and wait for the inevitable. The Count stays below to broadcast until the last possible minute. As the ship nears sinking, Simon spots hundreds of boats heading their way: Pirate Radio listeners who heard their coordinates and are there to rescue them. All of them get on boats--including Simon, who finds his #1 fan and kisses her, and the Count, who emerges at the last minute--and head back to England.A postscript notes that there are now many radio stations that play all kinds of music, all of the time.

Tags: comedy, entertaining

Review:
Although the film received its fair share of criticism for its historical inaccuracies and feeble plot, in my view, the film does exactly what its authors set out to achieve and - not only in terms of the soundtrack - rock it really does.If you're looking for an evening of pure escapist fun, feeling generally nostalgic and cool about the legacy of the 60s fashion and music, and would like to forget history for a while and go with the party mood, go see this film - you won't be let down and you'll get what you're looking for: an amazing soundtrack (although, as many didn't hesitate to point out, not entirely historically accurate), with the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Dusty Springfield, The Hollies, Jimmy Hendrix, Buddy Holly, and many many more, with the charismatic Bill Nighy and a bunch of other not-quite-so-ordinary eccentric characters, more or less familiar to you, depending on how you enjoy British (and American) comedy (e.g. IT Crowd).
Even if you don't know the actors, even if you're not into the music of the 60s, you've got pure feel-good fun thrown in to top it off for a great evening of the 60s Rock'n'Roll partying.
And it's partying in the true 60s sense of the word.On the other hand, if you're looking for profound plot development, historical accuracy and consistency, or a true story of a real pirate radio station Caroline that inspired the story, or, in fact, would like to see a true depiction of the life in the UK in 1966, do NOT go see this film, because you might leave disappointed.It's as simple as that.So, a definite recommendation for cinema viewing because of the necessary volume that the speakers allow you there to enjoy the music to the fullest (and, let me say one more time what music it is!), but stay out if you're not in a party mood.I give it 8/10 for the feel-good, cool entertainment it brings and....
Writing is good, plot is solid, Acting is fantastic, story line is great and the best movie score/soundtrack I have heard in recent history.
Richard Curtis' first 'non romantic comedy film' is really another romantic comedy film- it's just that the romantic bit gets swamped within 20 other sub-plots so you try and not notice.The Boat That Rocked sees Carl ( Tom Surridge ) go aboard Radio Rock- a pirate radio station owned by Quentin ( Bill Nighy ) whose DJ's (Phillip Semour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Chris O' Dowd, Rhys Darby, etc.
Nick Frost is cheeky as Dr Dave and finally Rhys Darby- fresh from Flight of the Conchords- simply shines in his role as the unpopular and daggy Angus who nonetheless gets arguably the best line in the whole movie.Overall the Boat That Rocked is silly and entertaining fun.
If you think of "Four weddings and a Funeral" or "Notting Hill", you will be a little disappointed, being here the overall tone not so brilliant, dialogues not so sparkling, however, the both humorous and moving atmosphere of Richard Curtis's comedies is still recognizable.I think the real protagonist in "The boat that rocked" is music, that sound pop-rock that in the 60's began to move the world, and to be opposed by the establishment as a dangerous weapon in the hands of the multitudes, as a threat to a well consolidated but no longer valid system.
And thus becomes, in my opinion, the most vivid scene that of those hundreds of records floating on the water, the symbol of a generation, of an era that was then ready to explode, and that no strict establishment could have wiped away, even once illegal radio stations were shut down.No revolutionary message is conveyed: it's a good-humoured and at intervals melancholic tribute to a generation who, maybe ingenuously, but deeply, and truly believed in out of time-values, friendship, respect, love, and believed that music was a strong, and powerfully effective means to convey them.
This film is about a pirate rock radio station in British North Sea in the 1960's.I have watched several movies about British music history, and I have enjoyed none of them.
'The boat that rocked' is your average English comedy.Its highly original setting, on a 1966-clandestine Sixties' pirate-radio ship, surely warms the heart of everyone around at the time -- listening in when you were supposed to sleep or to do your homework.
Those with a good memory will also have noticed that several pop songs date from 1967, or even later than that.I wouldn't call 'The Boat that Rocked' a great film; nevertheless it entertains from beginning to end..
People sleeping with obese men, for no reason; stupid dares; intermittent referrals to the government trying to close them down...my god, the list goes on and on.After watching, I had no idea who this film was about, and it seems like it they said to themselves "okay, there was a boat that was a pirate radio station in the 60's- lets dress up some funny characters, make them look like they don't care, and create scene after scene of unrelated crap and churn out a movie that people will spend their money on and we'll do NOTHING to deserve it...Im sorry, but I've never seen such a useless waste of movie time ever, and i sat through inspector gadget with Mathew Broderick!!!
I'm just a little too young to be aware of the impact of the pirates at the time although I've heard the odd nostalgic radio documentary retelling the story and to be absolutely honest, that medium probably served the story better as the subject does not justify a two hour plus movie like this.Actually the more I think about it, with its obvious references to the actual disc-jockeys (who all washed away their rebellious principles by signing up to the BBC en-masse and thus became familiar to the wider public, yours truly included), you have to wonder about the moral compass of a movie that lionises anodyne jocks like Tony Blackburn, Dave Lee Travis, Bob Harris, Stuart Henry and others.
Even the inclusion of a miscast Philip Seymour-Hoffman revisiting, presumably, American renegade Emperor Rosko doesn't help the movie float (sorry) and a mock-grandiose conclusion, where yet again Curtis rallies all his cast and a horde of extras for the grandstand finish, only heightens the shortcomings.Women are treated as mere chattels, fame-obsessed fans desperate to sleep with their medium-wave heroes at the drop of a light-switch, but of course being politically correct a token black guy finds himself on board, alongside a lesbian tea-maid, who even manages to score with a pretty lesbian fan herself.The comedic scenes are telegraphed in from Carry On Doctor At Sea, plus I doubt a four-letter word was ever broadcast on-air as is made out here.
The only thing that made me smile was the Python-like recreation of Jimi Hendrix's notorious "Electric Ladyland" album-sleeve (again from 1968 however, pop-pickers!), albeit with a bevy of naked women in tow.In fact the best and most rebellious thing about the film was the soundtrack, a reminder of just how tumultuously wonderful the British music scene was at the time.
The characters are beyond caricatures - some are just bizarre - and waste some good acting/comedy talent (I'm not including Bill Nighy in that - despite Curtis' constant use of him and an okay turn in Shaun of the dead, I really can't see the point of Nighy as an actor or a comic).The script is lazy, flaccid and way overlong and the whole premise (of a pirate radio station - which could have been a good one) is lost in the general mish-mash of in jokes and stilted set pieces.Even the title is a cringeworthily bad pun which is beyond ironic.
I know people will say it's just a feel good movie and will point to the money it will no doubt bring in, but at a time when resources in the UK film industry are scarce I think Curtis' films are increasingly becoming wasted opportunities.British cinema is capable of so much more.
Pirate Radio has a few things going for it - big hits from the sixties, well-known comedy faces, plenty of rock music stereotypes, alcohol fuelled scenes, hot women.
Full of clichés, disjointedly edited scenes, totally gratuitous sex, and humor that's just not funny, this inappropriately worshipful treatment of Radio Caroline mythology can only be compared to "Space Cowboys." That's right, the space movie, which, with an amazingly talented cast, an intriguing and exciting story, and competent special effects, also managed to be a complete bomb.I wanted to like this movie; actually I wanted to love it.
It has been a good while since I have seen a film as good as "The boat that rocked", it was quite simply superb.The film is a fantastic insight into the pirate radio theme, with some superb acting, huge dollops of laughter, some sad moments but a whole lot of fun, the boat that rocked is set to become a "feel good" classic.Aside from this there is some gorgeous music from Rock and Roll's finest hour so far, if you enjoy such classics as the rolling stones and the kinks, you should see the film for the music alone.All in all I was blown away by how good this film was, It has got to be one of my favourite films of all time simply because it just hit the spot on a "good time film", you will come out of the movie feeling great.There are two things on earth that no tyrant,no government and no "oppressors" will ever be able to stop, one is music and the other is laughter, this film has both..
While watching this film, I really related to its emotive origins of the freedom and novelty of the world of music and its effect on the world.Quite simply, if you like a great soundtrack, some very entertaining humour from some great actors and a colourful feast of hedonism and debauchery then this is for you.I will give this film 8 out of 10 as I believe it celebrates in a very colourful fashion, an era that has long been due a fantastical perspective to really lift it out of history and into the eyes and ears of audiences across the UK.
And in my opinion the main strength of "The Boat" is that it rocks you ever so gently into liking all the characters on it and being just that little bit envious about the freedom they are enjoying and sharing, and also wishing the fun never ends.If you don't like this film for one reason or another, you might feel vindicated by its patchwork story, by a partly anachronistic soundtrack, by its lightheartedness and unpretentiousness, or even by its premise that all is well in the world of rock and that we are immortal while we dream.If you like it, I hope it is because it made you feel drunk with happiness and whispered into your ear about the beauty of youth and hope and friendship.I doubt one could or should ask for more..
In that respect his work holds a mirror up to society and reflects back life's highs and lows, joys and disappointments and frustrations and satisfactions in a realistic way - with only the occasional exaggeration or use of poetic licence.The Boat that Rocked deals with a subject, Pirate Radio, and an era, the "swinging sixties", that is surely ripe for social comedy and humorous treatment.
Pirate Radio is a fun and entertaining film bolstered by great music and a strong ensemble cast.
Pirate Radio is not really romantic despite the track record of the director (screenplay writer of Notting Hill and 4 Weddings and a Funeral), nor is it extremely laugh-out-loud funny but it's certainly entertaining and worth watching especially if you love music from the sixties.
This movie is great because of its witty British humor and because of the great characters involved, there was the main character Carl whom you where instantly fond of, then there was the roommate which was dumb and made you laugh each time he did something, Quentin who was a cool man that was the head of these rock pirates, then there was The Count who was the American Dj he is a great actor but also a really funny one.
Finally , a movie with a soul that is ,well, as big as the Rock 'n 'Roll .The story about the illegal pirate station that was broadcasting 24/7 at the end of the 60's somewhere in the North Sea ,and the material , o boy , the music that has endeared this genre to practically everyone on this planet .And the fact that the government forbade this music in Mother England , that was something new to me ( talking about the democratic gene ?
From that rickety old boat, a select group of radio DJs would not only empower a generation of music lovers who wanted more than a half hour of pop music a night broadcasted by the BBC, but they would find a family and in turn create living memories of laughs, parties, sex and, well; rock and roll.
Throughout the course of Radio Rock's voyages of the airwaves, we are compelled to feel for the struggle that these people are going through, but not only because of the freedom they stand up for, but because we also feel their bonds; the government, with their cold-faced callousness in trying to shut down rock and roll radio, are a threat to that family, and the sense of protective empathy that Curtis evokes is palpable.Despite the many ties that bind film and rock music together however, there remains a distinct lack of such movies catering to the subject matter itself, never mind even including a soundtrack aligned to the pop world.
Again, it's hard to single out anyone in particular because it's the kind of feature that works best when taken as a whole, but be sure that all involved give standout performances that really are a joy to watch beginning to end.When it comes down to it though, the entirety of The Boat that Rocks' viewing experience comes down to one of breezy, theatrical entertainment punctuated by the energy of the cast and silly fun balanced with heartache drenched in pathos that slowly develops within the script.
It's based on an awesome topic that interests again a lot of us Brits and most importantly it looks damn right hilarious!.Unforunatley recent comedy's have proved to show all the laughs they have to offer in the 3 minute trailer then leave you with nothing to see when it comes down to actually watching the film.Well this film is definitely not one of those.The Good Well the film is hilarious anyone who likes anything about comedy will love this which is straight away most people there are some hysterical scenes and enough laughs to keep you going right to the end.Laughs aren't all this film has to offer its actually very appealing to any fans of the rock genre.
But no need to be surprised since writer-director Richard Curtis' previous effort was the even sappier "Love Actually".And the weak spots are more or less the same: an overlong, sketchy and paper-thin narrative with lots of fake uplift and superficial emotions, cardboard characters and little sense of plot development, up to a terribly overblown finale.That's a shame because the premise is solid, the wonderful actors enliven their likable parts, the sixties flavour is intact and the tunes are great.But the pic's silliness and predictability are serious drawbacks, despite some laughs here and there.5 out of 10 pirate radios.
But the soundtrack is possibly one of the best movie soundtracks ever and as a huge music anorak type person I loved the end credit sequence with the album covers.Don't get me wrong, Pirate Radio is not an atrocious film, it harmless and worth watching for a bit of fun, It's just this is the music of my youth, I recall whilst growing up, listening to Radio Caroline a pirate radio station that broadcast from a ship offshore right up until the late 1970's and I was just expecting and wanting something much more from the film, something celebrating that wonderful British 60's and early 70's culture, a film that given the subject could have and should have become a great British Cult Music movie, it's quite saddening because Pirate Radio never will and Curtis completely missed the opportunity.
Pirate Radio is a fictionalized and idealized story of one boat full of a wacky cast of characters who all share one thing in common, a love and a passion for music.
"Pirate Radio" will certainly not be taking home any awards, but for a two-hour movie with great music and humor it's good enough..
I thought that the idea, the music and the people around the country dancing along and listening to the radio were all done well - however - although I thought that the characters played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans and a cameo role by Emma Thompson were good and enjoyable, it was very, very noticeable that the rest of the cast were incredibly weak, and the story / plot line was very poor – and it (I believe) is the weakest of all Richard Curtis's recent works - and the ONLY saving grace holding it together is the music (which would have carried any film on it's own anyway) - ultimately, (excuse the pun) I think that Richard Curtis has really missed the boat with the adaptation of this – when this film had all the ingredients and the potential to be a much, much better movie.See the film for the music alone ...
I can think of very few films with a more enticing soundtrack than THE BOAT THAT ROCKED (aka PIRATE RADIO), and for that alone it is worth watching.