The Boatniks 1970

MAN THE LAFFBOATS!

5.364 / 10   21 vote(s)
Comedy Family

Young and awkward, The Coast-Guard's ensign Thomas Garland suffers from the comparison with his late father, a war hero. Which does not prevent him from falling for pretty Kate Fairchild, a young woman who runs a sailing school. Of course the way he expresses his deep sympathy for the lady leaves to be desired. And the situation does not improve when a trio of bumbling jewel thieves interferes.

Release Date 1970-07-01
Runtime 1h 39m
Directors Norman Tokar, William E. Snyder
Producers Ron Miller, Tom Leetch
Writers Arthur Julian, Martin Roth

I enjoyed this, possibly Disney's best live-action work since the mid-1960s.

'The Boatniks' captured my attention from start-to-finish, it never drags once thanks to a fun premise and a nicely chosen cast. I was wondering at the beginning how they were gonna connect the two plots together, thankfully they do a fine job at keeping things fresh and amusing.

Robert Morse (Garland) and Stefanie Powers (Kate) team up very effectively, I really bought into how they progress together. Away from those two, you have Phil Silvers (Harry), Norman Fell (Max) and Mickey Shaughnessy (Charlie) who bring most of the comical stuff, their characters aren't anything particularly revolutionary or unique but they are funny - especially given what occurs to them.

Strong pacing, pleasing humour that doesn't get repetitive and a well picked cast. You should definitely give this a watch.

r96sk