The Independent Film Forum: 9. The Boat that Rocked

Our film forum is your chance to pass judgement on a recent release. Here's a selection of your views on Richard Curtis's comedy about pirate radio

(Universal Studios)

Chicunique: I felt like I was existing in a moral void – either drowning in a sea of shameless smut or swimming in sentimental twaddle.

Dorkingboy: Bad casting – Nick Frost is implausible. Bad scripting – toilet humour and silly stereotypes. Bad subliminal attempt at being pro-Labour by being disparaging about Tories. Bad and ridiculous caricatures – Branagh and Davenport, return your fees forthwith. Bad storyline – predictable. Bad character names – insulting to the viewer's intelligence to a lower degree than even 'Carry-On' would stoop. Unworthy, Mr Curtis.

Tobluebell: I think you're judging this film by rules that really don't apply. No strong narrative, no surprises, nothing subtle, not thought-provoking, nothing much to say. It is just a bit of fun, but what an underestimated quality fun is. A few quid spent to invoke a sense of silly happiness, a small crowd leaving a cinema with big grins on their faces and tunes playing in their heads, in this time when all we are supposed to be feeling is gloom. And I'm sorry, but every time the name Twatt was uttered, a giggle did run round the auditorium. Unsophisticated yes, but perhaps a brief reprieve from the serious business of critical endeavour.

Brennig Jones: 'The Boat that Rocked' is no more a historical analysis of pirate radio in the UK/Europe than the last series of 'Blackadder' was an in-depth study of British military procedures during the First World War. A typical piece of Richard Curtis feel-good. The characters are well drawn, certain elements of the set piece are historically correct, and the flavour of the 1960s is comfortably reconstructed. What 'The Boat that Rocked' does is successfully capture the disparate moods of the period, notably the out-of-touch, painfully square attitude of The Establishment compared to the wants of the public.

Next week: Zac Efron is the latest pin-up boy – but does he have what it takes to be the new DiCaprio? The next film up for discussion in the Independent Film Forum is '17 Again'. Add your comments to www.independent.co.uk/filmforum and we'll print the best next week.