The Boat That Rocked (15)

Apr 7 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

BRITISH director Richard Curtis attempts to ride the crest of a wave with his most ambitious comedy riot, The Boat That Rocked (15).

The Love Actually man’s latest offering charts the progress of Carl (played by Tom Sturridge), a floppy-haired teenager who finds himself sent to a pirate radio ship moored in the North Sea after expulsion from public school.

Under the wing of his caddish godfather Quentin (Bill Nighy), the youngster finds himself catapulted into the hedonistic world of Radio Rock – a station illegally pumping out the signature pop tunes of the 1960s in brave defiance of the UK government.

Manned by the all-star cast audiences have come to expect from Curtis, anarchy rules as the likes of wild-child DJ Gavin (Rhys Ifans) deliberately antagonise the rigid authorities, led by Minister Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh).

Loosely based on real-life pirate station Radio Caroline, the action is littered with the sort of warm and fuzzy British humour that the director has dined out on since he made Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Much of the charm and subtlety of his earlier work is lost here however, as the huge cast attempt to cram in as many cheeky quips as possible during their various spells in the spotlight.

This leads to curious results as IT Crowd favourite Chris O’Dowd’s down-and-out character Simon outshines established Hollywood regular Philip Seymour-Hoffman in his role as The Count.

It all culminates in a spectacle which, disappointingly for such a feel-good specialist as Curtis, may leave many fans a little seasick.

Rating: 3/5.