All those wishing to travel aboard the latest feel good vessel helmed by Richard 'Love Actually' Curtis should make their way to the nearest cinema now.

The Boat That Rocked plots a romantic comedy course through the choppy waters of the late '60s when rock music was deemed unhealthy by the repressive establishment and the British public had to tune in to pirate stations to hear filth like The Rolling Stones.

It is blessed with a stellar cast including the always excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman as uber DJ The Count, Rhys Ifans as super cool legend of the airwaves Gavin and Bill Nighy as Quentin, the captain of the dubious ship Rock Radio.

Arrayed against the pop-loving, sea-faring miscreants are the forces of law and order embodied by government minister Dormandy (a tightly wound Kenneth Branagh) and his right hand 'hit'man who rejoices in the name of Twatt (an effectively odious turn from Jack Davenport).

Can the powers that be shut down the pirates and win the hearts and minds back of the 23 million people who tune in for the raucous musical banter?

The resulting battle of wits is the main dramatic element of the film, which is otherwise a two-hour series of set pieces set to the funkiest '60s tunes. The soundtrack is excellent – The Kinks, The Who, Hendrix, Cream, The Beach Boys… even if you weren't around to appreciate these at the time there will be many who will discover some cracking tracks.

As the forces of grey and boring close in on the naughty pirates, the film veers into a pseudo-dramatic Titanic-esque homage. Will the rogue heroes meet a watery grave by the end credits?

There is the real danger that all hands will be lost as Curtis ramps up the schmaltz and goes for the sentiment jugular but if you're able to just appreciate this boat for the mildly funny moments it delivers, you'll go home smiling.