The Boat That Rocked review
Maybe Richard Curtis’ insistence on directing has got in the way of his writing (which we know he is more than capable of; Blackadder, Four Weddings, even Notting Hill was passable) but you have to blame both for such a ramshackle film with terrible pacing that sees numerous set pieces (such as the ending, for Christ’s sake) appear as if by magic, with absolutely no build-up.
The script is lightweight and cheap, raising a serious concern that Curtis has totally lost it (naming a character “Twatt” is a pale imitation of naming a character “Darling”) whereas the cast is both a saving grace and another millstone. Those that are good are terrifically underused, largely because the film suffers from (one of) the same problem(s) Love Actually had; far too many big actors playing one-dimensional characters with big personalities so that in the end it’s nearly impossible to focus on, let alone care about, the plight of any of them.
This is an over-long, lazy, unchallenging film devoid of substance, intelligence, and the level of laughs we should expect from such a heavyweight comedy production.
1st Apr 2009
