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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media

"The Boat That Rocked" gets a new name but keeps its lesbian character

Last spring, we told you Katherine Parkinson would be playing a lesbian cook in the film The Boat That Rocked. The movie was put through the ringer, and is finally in American theaters under the name Pirate Radio.

Reviews indicate that Katherine's character Felicity is a relatively small part, besides being the only woman working on board the boat, which is home to a rogue rock 'n' roll radio station in the 1960s. Cinemablend.com says Felicity is "exempt from the ship's no lady policy because she's a lesbian."

Since she's such a small part in a cast of many, many men, there is another reason to see the film: January Jones. She plays Elenore, who is married to one of the main DJs, Simon (Chris O'Dowd), but is really in love with the star disc jockey, Gavin (Rhys Ifans).

Also in the film is Emma Thompson, playing mother to Carl (Tom Sturridge), the youngest man aboard. See? So many men, and that doesn't include the movie's biggest name, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, playing The Count.

Will you be seeing Pirate Radio?

Marshmallow's picture

??

I'm slightly confused... is this film only just coming out in America? Its already played here in Britain under its original name of The Boat That Rocked. I liked the lesbian character, wished I could have been her!

... Let's put the sex back into homosexual :P...

Karman Kregloe's picture

Film opens this week in the U.S.

Yes, the film opened in the UK in April 2009 and is opening this weekend (under "Pirate Radio") in the U.S.
Marshmallow's picture

Thanks

Thank you for clearing that up for me, I was a little confused at first when I saw the post!

... Let's put the sex back into homosexual :P...

Fia's picture

i have seen

this twice already, its good, funny and with good music also. she was a good character also
Legged's picture

I loved this movie! It's so

I loved this movie! It's so fantastic!

Realy loved that a lesbian character in this movie have a sweet happy ending!

Moosy's picture

LOVE

Love this movie tis awesome although slightly too long but at least the longness is filled with awesome music... watched it a million times already but my brother has lost the DVD grrrr
amo's picture

It seems like FOREVER ago

It seems like FOREVER ago since I saw this film, but it was dead funny, I really enjoyed it!
yael's picture

i love this movie

trust, saw this movie in the UK...known as the boat that rocked and it's a top movie! the ultimate pirates!!!!! doesn't matter about lesbians on board i was rolling on the floor, this movie is so funny!

almost the old crew back together with Kenneth brannagh as the villian and emma thompson!!!! 

~~~~

"laugh, laugh on at all the dreams that i the dreamer dare to weave,
laugh on, that i still belive in the people, for I still belive in life"

Leah's picture

This sounds awesome. I've

This sounds awesome. I've never heard of it before.  I'll definitely see it.  The 60's were the best time for fashion.
JT's picture

i think i saw a trailer for

i think i saw a trailer for it.. on itunes maybe? but haven't seen any other ads for it so maybe it's not going to make to the cinema in germany? or has it been there already?

"being the only woman working on board the boat"...

what an honour for being a lesbian... as long as she is not the only woman on board at all, but apparantly women are allowed for ... entertaining purposes.

tinustijger's picture

I didn't think it was that

I didn't think it was that great. I went to see it in the theater because I'm a huge Emma Thompson fan, but she had very little screentime (hilarious screentime though)

The lesbian character is such a stereotype that it gets boring, that's what I thought at least

on_the_level_77's picture

The movie that rocked

I saw this last summer while living in France, and I loved it!  Had me singing along in the theater (much to my would-be girlfriend's embarassment).  I was disappointed that the lesbian character didn't get more screen time, but I'm glad that she did get some action at least. :-)  

I'm not in America right now, but I heard that they reworked the American release of the film to make it shorter...I'm curious to see if it's been butchered. 

I'll definitely be buying this one on DVD!

 

"It doesn't matter what you do in the bedroom as long as you don't do it in the street and frighten the horses."

~Daphne Fielding, The Duchess of Jermyn Street

jo_schmo's picture

I saw this when I was living

I saw this when I was living in France a while ago...can't believe it's taken so long to be released in the States. 

I enjoyed it...I laughed alot.

cam's picture

definitely a great movie

i saw it a few months back in france too and loved it. it really does have great music and i was really happy about it including a lesbian character and that she does have a happy ending. but the movie in itself is quite hilarious id recommend it to anyone.
MK's picture

Saw it

I saw it already, and I believe it is an amazing movie! I loved it, good characters, but best of all great music. Its funny and has a good story..

seriously great 

Kato's picture

.

Saw this, and the first thing I thought was,
"Now Where Is Moss?"

 

 

 

 

Maybe I'm just a dweeb. XD

kerplunksky's picture

lol! I adore The IT Crowd,

lol! I adore The IT Crowd, the best ever one was when she has to do the presentation on the internet and they give her the box with the big button on it!  Linehan is a genius!  I'm also very partial to Ms Parkinson in the Maltesers ad where she thinks her jeans have shrunk.  She's a great actress. 
Thinking of getting my hips replaced. My hips are fine, but I'll be one step closer to becoming a machine.'s picture

it came out ages ago here is

it came out ages ago here is Oz.  It was pretty funny and the character Felecity has a pretty awesome ending (no death just the end of the film is good towards her).

 

 

cause the best thing in life is chicks

sara-ann's picture

sweet movie!

I've seen it and it's a great movie. When I heard they were cutting about 20 minutes of the movie I thought for sure that her character was going to go. But I'm glad that she's still in the movie. It was one of those movies that was good even though it was a bit long because it had the catharsis like reading a good book when it was done. 
Bente's picture

Loved the movie. Mainly

Loved the movie. Mainly because of the music. Great

Rented it a couple of weeks ago. 

I'm officially a thread killer.

Traci's picture

Saw it yesterday (maybe some spoilers in comment...)

I liked it. Katherine Parkinson's part was small but very adorable. And she gets some lesbian love in the move as well! But I was disappointed by how the other women (aside from Emma Thompson's charater) were portrayed in the movie. The only other two women in the movie, including January Jones' character, were portrayed as easy, flighty, women who betray men. But aside from that, and how they breezed through some of the plot, it was a good movie. I enjoyed it and it made me laugh. The soundtrack was also amazing and was used very creatively to fit the story.

Suzzie's picture

Dude....

I really wanted to see this but missed it at the cinema...its on my christmas list though! Can't wait to see it though and I loved Katherine Parkinson in 'Doc Martin' (yes I am that sad haha)