The Boat That Rocked

I'd easily give eight stars if I could, because you rarely see such a splendid array of excellent actors and tasteful humor any time or place. The cast is undoubtedly probably the strongest argument for seeing Richard Curtis' second film at all – personally, I have to say that I was charmed by the undying passion for the cause, the "struggle between good and evil", and especially by Curtis' craftsmanship, which makes the viewer fall in love with the whole group in a very short time. The ending is an emotional mess, which certainly cannot be blamed on its creator. On the contrary, it feels extremely human and natural in such "un-American packaging". One of the most powerful films, with characters that really grow on you. (17/11/2012)

Who would have thought that the director of "Love Actually" would make another film that would be an absolute hit. Richard Curtis, however, discovered his directorial ambitions in his old age, caught hold of them, and added great scripts that he had already written before, and he made two brilliant films. "About Time" is literally the prototype of a beautiful, funny, and sad romantic film, an intelligent film that simply must inspire. And it literally grabs you by the heart. Additionally, there is a pleiad of great British actors. The same applies to "The Boat That Rocked". Great script, solid direction, and excellent actors, who have changed quite a bit compared to "Love Actually". But Bill Nighy stayed, and it's a good thing. The same goes for Emma Thompson, whose role is truly minimalist. What is the whole thing about? It's about the fact that in the 60s, the British government simply did not tolerate rock 'n' roll, and it could only be broadcast on a ship that was anchored outside British territorial waters. People listened to the station because they simply loved rock 'n' roll. And who wouldn't love it. Curtis created an amazing mosaic of destinies, which is powerful, but what is the most powerful is the music. Rock 'n' roll is simply the real music, and the songs that are played here are wonderful. The soundtrack is an amazing composition, and this alone is one of the basic positives of the film. I hope that Curtis will make more films that are not only funny but also clever. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/06/rockova-lod-cruise-diaz-shawshank.html (21/02/2013)

Funny and nice bubblegum about the golden sixties, which inadvertently depicts the revolutionary era so correctly and ironically that it brings itself down. Over time, Curtis falls into a stereotype and the repainted visual serves the symbols of the 1960s completely devoid of any provocativeness and sex appeal. Nevertheless, excellent actors and a great soundtrack keep this ship afloat, although the bloated finale is noticeably embarrassing [70%] (16/06/2009)

I see it as a patchwork of scenes, with a very fluctuating level of wit, rather than as an whole film. Curtis defines himself in the screenwriter column, but as a director with scissors in hand, he cruelly overreached. He doesn't even have time to introduce, let alone develop, this parade of exhibition exotics, and if it weren't for the cast, who carry the film mainly with their eccentricity and charisma, this would have been a failure on all fronts. If they make it into a three-hour S.E. Cut or a straight six-part series for TV, I’ll give it full stars. They way it is now, it’s a desperately boring two hours. (23/08/2009)

“How about it then?” A better finale than in Titanic. :-) From the amount of attention the film pays to certain characters, it is obvious that a lot more material was filmed that didn’t make it to the final cut. That, however, doesn’t change the fact that I really enjoyed this flick and the time spent with its characters. The film didn’t have any other ambition and I don’t require anything more. (19/08/2009)