Expected as a simple, unpretentious British comedy, The Boat That Rocked is ultimately much more than that. Both hilarious and touching, this film is a great success and gives more credibility to the film's director Richard Curtis.The Boat That Rocked, entitled Good Morning England in France and released in 2009, recounts the madness of the 1960s in music and highlights the democratization of rock’n’roll in Britain. Based on the true story of Radio Caroline, a pirate radio hounded by the British authorities, The Boat That Rocked is Richard Curtis’s third film as director, a scriptwriter acknowledged and already congratulated for his romantic comedy Love Actually released in 2003.
The story is set in 1966, when rock music is becoming a major musical genre in the world. However in the UK, rock music is ignored by radio which doesn’t broadcast it. To overcome this problem, a pirate radio called Radio Rock directed by Quentin, a kind of charming dandy, is going to take to the open sea and decide with his eccentric crew of DJ's to broadcast whatever they want. The crew is composed of, among others The Count, a swollen-headed American ; Simon, the naive of the group who is desperately looking for love ; Dave, a great lady-killer and cynical at the same time ; Angus "The Nuts" Knutsford, the unloved of the crew and Thick Kevin, the stupidest man in the world.
Only the British government doesn’t like it and will do everything to prevent Radio Rock from broadcasting. This is where the trouble begins.The Boat That Rocked is above all a film about music with a sophisticated Original Soundtrack. You can hear many classics of the time with The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix or The Who, which allows people who lived through that time to recall great memories, but also to the younger generation to discover famous bands of the past.Beyond the musical aspect which is irreproachable, let us not forget that the film is a comedy.
The characters are all very engaging and charismatic, and we really feel like watching a bunch of old friends trying to have fun without worrying about the rest.The actors are brilliant, especially Bill Nighy and his typical English sense of humour and Nick Frost, whose the acting is still as funny since his role in the British comedy Hot Fuzz. The scenario is also very well written and you feel in a good mood after watching this rejoicing film.In conclusion, The Boat That Rocked is a UFO that never ceases to surprise from start to end and contains no dead time. The cast is impressive, the script is amazing and the Soundtrack is superbly chosen.
Not to be missed.
