The director of Love Actually brings an artistic flair to this tribute to the British era of pirate radio making it impossible to take your eyes – and ears – off.
Loosely based on real events, The Boat That Rocked is the story of a band of pirate DJs in the middle of the North Sea.
They play rock and roll 24 hours a day to defy the BBC at a time when it played just two hours of rock and pop a week.
The boat, Radio Rock, is reminiscent of Radio Caroline that broadcasted between 1983 to 1990 and will be a nod to the past for many people.
But for younger viewers there is still much to admire here, most notably the fantastic emsemble cast.
British legends like Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans and Shaun of the Dead’s Nick Frost, to name but a few, perform alongside the likes of American star Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Flight of the Conchords fans will also be delighted to see Rhys Darby in a prominent role. The chemistry and the comedy is crackling.
It may be a very light weight film but where The Boat That Rocked mostly succeeds is in its feel and look.
The villains in the piece, the BBC, are painted as bleak and calculating while every time the DJs are on screen you feel like you are there with them having the time of your life.
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