The Boat that Rocked is a movie based on the story of Radio Caroline, a pirate radio station that operated in international waters, and it follows the lives of the rebellious radio DJs as they broadcast rock and roll from a ship off the coast of the U.K. its set in the early years of the sex, drugs and rock and roll era and is of course accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack, featuring songs from The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, with a splash of soul from the likes of Dusty Springfield and Otis Redding.

The movie’s mainstay is comedy and naturally… It’s a bit raunchy at times but despite that it has a lot of heart and charm as the DJs navigate the complicated lifestyle of living on a boat with like-minded lunatics, all while broadcasting 24/7 and fighting off the ever-looming threat of government shutdown.

It starts of a little frantic, and there’s a bit of partying and shenanigans going on but it settles in nicely and manages to hit some surprisingly emotional notes throughout. And there’s just something about the way it was filmed, the texture is almost grainy, like it was shot on a camera from the ’60s, which really makes it feel like you’re taking a trip back in time. 

The cast is headed up by a couple of heavyweights in Bill Nighy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Kenneth Branagh, supported by a dozen or so U.K. comedy actors and is directed by Richard Curtis, which if you’ve seen any of his other movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, About Time or Love Actually, you will understand what I mean when I said heart and charm.

Overall, the movie delivers as advertised, a bit of fun on a boat, with a couple of standout performances from the always great Bill Nighy and Nick Frost and an absolutely rocking soundtrack.