The Boat That Rocked

Rating: * *

Verdict:

It playlists to starboard. It playlists to port. It still doesn't rock.

Yes, there are laughs to be had. Personally speaking, every time Rhys Darby's character enthused about The Seekers it was hard to suppress a snort.

As resident irritating Antipodean Angus "Nutty' Nutsford, he's just one of the colourful, quirky, zany, etc, etc DJs on a British pirate radio ship doing their bit for rock'n'roll freedom against Her Majesty's regulated airwaves of the 1960s.

It's very loosely based on Radio Caroline which in turn inspired our own Radio Hauraki. It's also very loosely based on, well, the 1960s. No, it's no social history lesson. But then again it's not much of an ensemble comedy either, its vast cast really hasn't much to do but ride out the waves of innumerable contrivances.

Most of those involve shagging, though there is a go-nowhere paternity subplot, an odd cameo by Emma Thompson and an amusing visual gag based on Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland album cover. But despite landing the occasional punchline, it's nearly an hour longer than it should be and it feels like a pet project for 60s pop nut Richard Curtis, the writer directing his second after

Love, Actually

.

This isn't really about how the music will set you free, despite its grand jukebox of a soundtrack. Rather it's the half-baked story about a bunch of largely unloveable guys whose microphone talents turn them into pop stars without portfolios rather than rock'n'roll rebels.

More's the pity - if anyone ever wanted to make a film of the Hauraki story, then this has surely scuppered its chances.

Russell Baillie

Cast:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Rhys Darby, Kenneth Branagh

Director:

Richard Curtis

Rating

: M

Running Time:

135mins