Too much of everything

So much average

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Opening scene, man in armchair with Green Bay window behind him, the green radiator in the bay window in a modern one. When the Gov boats rush out to Radio Rock (in the 1960s) they are all new high speed inflatable ribs.

Entertaining. Hilarious. Cheesy at moments and not always historically accurate, but so uplifting! A solid feel-good film. That's how I would describe „The Boat that Rocked". The film is set in the late 60s and its story follows young Carl, who is sentenced by his mom to go live on a ship, where his uncle works. As he steps on board, he takes a spin on a carousel ride that will flip his life upside down. The ship shelters an illegal radio station, its eccentric DJs and a few other, but, just as important, characters. As Richard Curtis is a well known director, he's managed to gather one of the most exceptional casts I've seen for a while. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Nick Frost add another great performance to their list of already impeccable work. Tom Sturridge, supposedly the main character of the film, is a new discovery. You can see that the cast had great fun filming this movie. The one thing that makes this ride truly rock is the music. If you haven't fallen in love with the 60s music, you will after this film. The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen, The Who and Jimi Hendrix, these are just a few of the artists which form its amazing soundtrack. Many diss this film for its historical inaccuracies, for the partly anachronistic music that is used. This film is flawed, no doubt. There is no revolutionary message hidden in it or a strong plot. And it weirdly consists of mainly subplots. Despite all that, the film makes you want to join the cast dancing on board. It is a film of friendship and love. It is lighthearted and makes you smile like a dork even at the cheesiest moments. Even its very predictable ending doesn't take away much of that. I dare to say that this film will give energy to both the young and the old. Do not watch it for the plot or in search for accurate facts. Watch it for the characters and the emotions. Just lay back and enjoy the party.

The first time I saw this film I didn't like it. Supposedly a true story about a rebel rock radio station based on a ship, it seemed to have too much of that 'cool guys versus the establishment' cliché. Plus, I thought writer-director Richard Curtis had gone over the top with the feel-good vibe, like a hyperactive puppy. But on second viewing, I saw how much fun every single actor was having in their role. Working at a radio station on the boat looked like when you went to school camp - an exciting place where anything could happen. We see the place through the eyes of a newcomer - a young man who meets all the DJs, who range from nerdy weirdos to cuddly eccentrics to prickly bastards. All men except the lesbian cook. Interesting actors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Rhys Darby attack their mad DJ roles with gusto. Special mention to Rhys Ifans, who chews up the screen as the enigmatic, inexplicable chick magnet DJ Gavin, who also has a funny rivalry with Hoffman's expansive Yank DJ character, The Count. Irish actor Chris O'Dowd plays himself, as usual, but as usual he is appealing. And you can't argue with the music. The sheer number of fantastic songs makes you realise how amazing the endless line of hits was in the 1960s. I love how the film also shows listeners all over the UK tuning in to Radio Caroline, and dancing along. It shows that the station wasn't just a hippie throwaway. It gave people joy and took them away from their sometimes dull lives. So just sit back and enjoy this weird, wonderful and very nutty film.

As someone who grew up just after the pirate radio movement, I found this to be a really good film - I could recognise similarities between the DJ's and those real life DJ's who became radio 1 stalwarts. Oh and the music - fantastic.For those who say it is too long - it is as long as it needs to be and the plot while lacking in subtle hidden meanings is as it should be. It tells the story of a generation (albeit the one before me)and it tells it well.Strangely, my music mad 15 year old daughter said it left her cold. She just couldn't understand as in her world pop music has always been there and with so many ways to access it the idea of pirate radio just does not compute although I think maybe the lack of 1 dimension may have also had an impact.