The Boat That Rocked

The Boat That Rocked

DVD Rating: **1/2

Reviewed by: Amber Wilkinson

Read Stephen Carty's film review of The Boat That Rocked

The main extra is a commentary track with director Richard Curtis, produer Hilary Bevan Jones, Nick Frost ('Doctor' Dave) and Chris O'Dowd ('Simple' Simon). A lads' mag air pervades as Curtis, Frost an O'Dowd dominate proceedings - in fact you could be forgiven for thinking that Bevan Jones had completely fallen overboard at some points, she's so quiet.

Boisterous and intermittently amusing, Nick observes he is as "wide as he is tall" and "too working class for dinner party games". O'Dowd joins in with general joviality as the blokes gently mock everything from Tom Sturridge's boyish good looks - "we called him our lady of hope" to the desirability of "girls with fringes".

Copy picture

Curtis also banters, but manages to offer a few snippets about the actual shooting along the way, including the fact that in the TV version of the film Kenneth Branagh has to swap the phrase: "We have their testicles in our hands" for "We have their tentacles in our hands. He's so tongue-in-cheek throughout, however, it's hard to know if that's true or just something he says to raise a smile.

All in all it is funny to a point but, like the movie, it is also too long at more than two hours.

And if you think the film is to long, be thankful all the deleted scenes - more than half an hour's worth - weren't included, too. Again, they're a mixed bag, some amusing, some not, with all but one featuring a commentary introduction from Curtis, who really ought to get out of the habit of referring to his "favourite" thing all the time. Most worryingly, the deleted scene he finds most funny, featuring the characters Miss Clitt and Mr Twatt, is little more than a schoolboy misfire.

A competent package, which is moderately amusing but adds little to an understanding of the Pirate Radio phenomenon.

Reviewed on: 09 Sep 2009
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The Boat That Rocked packshot
The story of a boat-based pirate radio station which the government tries to ban.
Amazon link

Product Code: 8270228

Region: 2

Ratio: 116:9

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Extras: Commentary with Richard Curtis, Nick Frost, Chris O


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