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Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor ... see more see more... , Darren Evans , Steffan Rhodri , Osian Cai Dulais , Lily McCann , Otis Lloyd , Elinor Crawley , Gemma Chan , Melanie Walters , Sion Tudor Owen , Adrienne O'Sullivan , Jonny Wier , Lydia Fox , Lynne Hunter , Claire Cage , Edwin Ashcroft , Andrew Phillips , James Alexander Hill , Rikki Hall , Tom Ryan , James Jones , Sophy Brady-Halligan , Tanya Brady-Halligan , Sarah Pasquali

Fifteen-year-old Oliver Tate has two big ambitions: to save his parents' marriage via carefully plotted intervention and to lose his virginity before his next birthday. Worried that his mom is having ... read more read more...an affair with New Age weirdo Graham, Oliver monitors his parents' sex life by charting the dimmer switch in their bedroom. He also forges suggestive love letters from his mom to dad. Meanwhile, Oliver attempts to woo his classmate, Jordana, a self-professed pyromaniac who supervises his journal writing - especially the bits about her. When necessary, she orders him to cross things out. -- (C) Weinstein

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18,907 ratings

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87% liked it

137 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Richard Ayoade

Release Date: June 3, 2011

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DVD Release Date: October 4, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (1,335)

  • flixsterman
    May 5, 2012
    flixsterman
    Submarine has it all - humor and heartbreak and awkward, awkward adolescence.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 25, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    A comedy that doesn't let principles stand in the way of progress.

    Great Film! Submarine is a film that borrows the spirit but not the meat of ideas from other films. Along with being very funny, It genuinely understands and insight-fully explores, teen anxiety and communicatio... read moren/perception troubles. The casting is perfect as well, each actor makes their character ring with an authentic and lively human truth. I'm not sure how much this movie adds to the canon of coming of age stories, but its gentle humor and sympathetic characters made it enjoyable for me and I hope it works out for you too.

    Precocious Oliver struggles with being popular in school but when a dark-haired beauty takes interest in him, he's determined to become the best boyfriend in the world. Meanwhile, his parents' already rocky relationship is threatened when his mother's ex-boyfriend moves in next door. Oliver makes some unorthodox plans to ensure that his parents stay together and that Jordana still likes him.
  • LWOODS04
    April 21, 2012
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Steffan Rhodri, Sally Hawkins, Gemma Chan, Elinor Crawley

    Director: Richard Ayoade

    Summary: In this captivating coming-of-age story with an offbeat edge, 15-year-old Oliver Tate has two big ambitions: to save his ... read moreparents' marriage via carefully plotted intervention and to lose his virginity before his next birthday.

    My Thoughts: "This film is a perfect example of why I love Indie films. The characters and the story. They are always unique and like nothing else you have seen. Craig Roberts plays a quirky character named Oliver, who has an odd routine of checking the lighting in his parents bedroom that will tell him if they have been intimate or not. Oliver is concerned for his parents mariage and is convinced his mother is cheating on his father with her ex-boyfriend, who happens to be their new neighbor. Oliver takes it upon himself to try and save his parents mariage. As he's trying to save his parents and himself from the world of divorce, he ends up falling in love himslef with an equally quirky character Jordana, who is a bit dark but very vulnerable. They seem to be a perfect match and both have a lot in common it seems. But things seem to fall apart soon when Oliver finds he must choose being there for Jordana when she desperately needs him or being there for his parents when things take a turn for the worse. I really enjoyed the movie and found the script to be funny and smart. A great watch."
  • moonrivers
    April 13, 2012
    moonrivers
    Heavily informed by "The Graduate" and "The Catcher in the Rye", this Welch tale charts the yearnings of the heart of a young soul not quite in synch with his callous peers ... except for the young girl who understands him. Inventively told with a smart script and nuanced perfo... read morermances.
  • FrizzDrop
    April 8, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    Quirky films come along once in a great while, and good ones are as rare as unicorns. Submarine has many quirks that have been done before, that aren't all that surprising in nature, and aren't extremely dark or funny at times. Still, it is imaginative, sweet, tender, delicate, a... read morend has a tone and structure that you just don't see anymore. So many films are trying to be some outlandish Wes Anderson ripoff nowadays, that when a film really has potential it's hard to fight for amongst the barrage of crap. Submarine isn't hard to vy for. The story follows around the earnest thoughts of Oliver Tate, who is a pernicious teenager from Wales, far too insightful into the relationship of his parents and not thoughtful enough about his girlfriend, Jordana. Oliver, though strange in many ways that are almost unbelievable, holds so much truth about the human condition. He's insecure, traverse, and problematic to his family and Jordana. Much of the film is Oliver spying or disengaging from situations by sabotaging the lives of those he loves. The characters are thoughtfully fleshed out to draw the most realistic situations between them. Beside the character structure being thoughtful, the casting was brilliant. Famous character actors Paddy Considine, Sally Hawkins, and Noah Taylor played the seminal grown ups who weren't grown up at all, and the youth of the film were portrayed by up and comers Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige, who have each proved themselves before with indie English roles. The film not only hinged on their performances but also the dark vibe that kept it mysterious and yet oh so lovable. Though Oliver was an unreliable narrator through and through you could see his existential crises and the fact that it wasn't overblown thanks to youth. It is a love story and one of crisis, and doesn't have to be contextualized as one of juvenile ideas and mockeries of what traditional love is. Really, it's a false mockery, but one that will keep you thinking and wondering.
  • danperry17
    March 31, 2012
    danperry17
    Very little in this film feels like it hasn't been done before, and yet, it's absolutely engrossing. The optimism that ought to accompany one's coming of age contends, in Submarine, with 15-year-old Oliver Tate's parents' marital problems. Oliver is introverted, to say the least,... read more but the turmoil throws him straight into the arms of Jordana, an equally tormented bully of a girlfriend, and their unconventional courtship is a consuming, beautiful story of lovers in a truly dangerous time: high school. Some will contend that this one's on the precious side, but it's so well shot and the musical montages are so well done that you'll have a hard time not falling into it. Personally, I loved it.
  • mrbungle7821
    January 10, 2012
    mrbungle7821
    Submarine is the latest coming-of-age story, this time set in 1980s Wales, and while not breaking any new ground, it manages to be witty, stylish, and a completely winning portrait of a unique kid and his unique view of the world.

    Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is a 15-eyar-old k... read moreid with two life goals. He's like to romance the rebellious loner Jordana (Yasmin Paige) and, if possible, lose his virginity in the process. Oliver is also on a mission to save his parent' marriage. Jill Tate (Sally Hawkins) has been drifting from her husband, Lloyd (Noah Taylor), a marine biologist who has been in a depressive funk for years. Jill's old boyfriend, Graham (Paddy Considine), has moved in next-door and begun to insert himself back in her life.

    Submarine is going to be something of an acquired taste. It's almost drowning in whimsy, following the numerous affectations of its main character. Fans will say that the movie borrows liberally from Wes Anderson's 1998 film, Rushmore; non-fans will just say the movie cops to outright theft. Like Rushmore, this movie follows the coming-of-age trials and tribulations of an intelligent but lonely outcast, a wiseacre beyond his years. What sets this movie apart is that we taken on the point of view of Oliver. He often refers to his life as if it were a movie, noting dramatic moments that would be accompanied by dramatic music, and a solemn moment that would feature a crane shot rising above the ground but if the budget were low he'd settle for a slow zoom out (the actual movie chooses the slow zoom). "I have turned these moments into the Super-8 footage of memory," he remarks. Oliver is a student of pop-culture, an early Rob Gordon (High Fidelity), and as such blurs the line between reality and the movies. He will routinely point out film tropes ad then indulge in them. We are each the stars of our own stories. In this manner, Submarine separates itself from the idiosyncratic, miniaturized-doll house world of Anderson's films or the fanciful magic realism of Jean Piere Jeunet (Amelie). For me, the multitude of quirks were appealing instead of insufferable because we were inside the mind of Oliver, seeing his world through his unique worldview. This brings rationale for the whimsy.

    Oliver is both an unreliable narrator and a flawed protagonist, a fantastic development. So often coming-of-age tales are mainly autobiographical (this one is based off a book by Joe Dunthorne), and as such the authors usually portray themselves as individuals whose chief fault is that they are naïve. Some life experience will shatter their innocence, usually a girl, and thus they will grow and learn. With Submarine, Oliver gains our sympathy by being clever but then he tests it with the compromises he makes to fit in. He engages in some very mean bullying all to win over Jordana. He's trying to seem so mature, using advanced vocabulary to provide the illusion of adulthood, but really Oliver can't comprehend the subtleties of social cues. Just when Jordana appears to be opening up and looking to him for need, that's when he botches it, acts kind of awful, and then justifies it in his head, like so many of us will do with our mistakes. Still, I never stopped rooting for this kid. I was rooting for him and Jordana to work out. So hard was I yearning for these two loner oddballs to have their happy ending, I think I pulled something (my dignity?). We can see Jordana through Oliver's infatuated eyes, but then we can also see deeper, see the vulnerability that comes forward that Oliver might be blithe to. Paige (The Sarah Jane Adventures) is a true breakout star and it's easy to see why Oliver is so infatuated with the charming lass. She's bruised but approachable, risky but relatable. We can see the connection building between these two, and we want it to continue (maybe that's my own high school experience speaking out). The youthful romance is sweet and unconventional without seeming like a coming-of-age folly, something that Oliver is supposed to learn some gallant life lesson.

    The other plot development, the rocky relationship between Oliver's parents, is less resonant but it does provide for some fine moments of humor. The new neighbor, Graham, who practices martial arts and believes himself to be a New Age mystic, healing people by sensing their aura colors, just feels like a leftover Napoleon Dynamite. It provides Considine (In America) a springboard to act goofy, which he's quite good at. The goofiness of the character, however, cuts into the credibility of being a threat to steal away Jill. She may be caught up in this guy's tiny bubble of fame, but there's no way she would leave her husband for this doofus, even if her husband has been suffering from depression for years. Oliver's attempts to reignite his parents' marriage are plenty hilarious, but they're also informed with a sweet, if misguided, earnestness. He loves his parents and wants them to stay together. He doesn't want a ninja mystic for his new dad. Fortunately, Oliver's attempts to sabotage Graham are kept to a minimum and restrained enough not to resort to cheap slapstick or gross-out humiliation. Maybe it's the distinctive point of view steering the narrative, but the potential doom of the marriage never feels as portentous and heartbreaking as Oliver's hope at wooing Jordana.

    Debut director Richard Ayoade, who also adapted the screenplay, utilizes every visual trick in the book to tell this story. If the main character weren't so amusing, and his plight so interesting, all the visual artifice might be exhausting. Instead it keeps the movie lively, crafty, and constantly wonderful to observe. Ayoade's also quite a talent when it comes to screenwriting. He smoothly captures the very mannered speaking style of Oliver. Then there are just lines that make you laugh out loud from the sheer absurdity of misplaced teenager awe: "He wasn't even considered hard until the Watkin twins famously stabbed him in the back with compasses. He said nothing; showed no discomfort as his shirt blossomed with blood poppies. His stoicism reminded me of the brave men who died in the First World War." Ayoade, best known for his starring role on The IT Crowd, will probably soon have a lot more offers to direct features once people get a gander at Submarine. The man's a natural storyteller and will be snapped up by Hollywood in no time flat.

    Finally, the movie's lead actor needs to be good, better than good, if this movie is going to rise above the din of precocious, coming-of-age cinema. Roberts (Jane Eyre), hollow eyed and just a little "off" looking, handles the material with ease, never letting his performance transform into a series of tics strewn together. Oliver is straight-laced throughout, letting the peculiarities of his imagination and worldview seem ordinary. Roberts doesn't get overwhelmed by the material and makes a strong impression as a more literate, less rebellious, more anxious, less despondent Welsh version of Holden Caulfield (okay, so maybe that allusion doesn't hold).

    Submarine is an unfailingly entertaining vehicle full of quirk and humor and surprising heart. Oliver's relationship with Jordana is sweet and mildly touching. I was surprised at how emotionally invested I was in their romance. The movie is also refreshingly low in angst, resorting more to Oliver's comic anxieties and insecurities. It certainly owes a debt to Anderson's Rushmore, but submarine is so good, so thrilling in its creative voice, that it can stand outside the mighty shadow of Anderson and his indomitable influence.

    Nate's Grade: A-
  • c0up
    January 1, 2012
    c0up
    'Submarine'. Sweet, charming, off-beat and hilarious; adorable from start to finish.

    Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige are wonderful, and together with Richard Ayoade's quirky, but beautiful direction, exude the reckless, carefree highs and lows of childhood and love. Noah Taylor'... read mores wacky father deserves a special mention too.

    Alex Turner's songs are gorgeous, and having heard the soundtrack on and off for months now, it was great to see it realised on the big screen, fitting in so well with the film.
  • itsjustme2004
    November 9, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Was I in a bad mood when I watched this? I'm not sure, but I expected a really good movie considering the high ratings. It was just so-so to me. I can count on three fingers how many times I chuckled. Hmmmm....
  • bathshebamonk
    November 7, 2011
    bathshebamonk
    I saw this on DVD, so that may account for the fact that I couldn't understand a lot of it--the Welsh accents, that is. But that's where the sub-title button comes in handy. It was charming, however, and different from the usual cookie-cutter Hollywood fare we are fed about tee... read morenaged boys. But having said that, I don't think that teenaged boys give a rat's ass about their parents' marriage, which thought kept intruding and kept me from ultimately enjoying the movie as much as I wanted to as he ran around trying to save that marriage. I liked his romance with Jordana and I liked that he welched out (hmmm, where did that come from?) on Joranda when her mother was possibly dying. And there is an enjoyable sweetness to foreign movies in that you aren't waiting for someone to plug the main character with a bullet. But just because it wasn't great, doesn't mean it wasn't good, which it was and I ultimately watched the whole thing which is not always the case on DVDs which I watch in bed.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
July 17, 2011
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

That rare teen comedy where the kids aren't gorgeous, the hero isn't heroic and the object of desire has a lot of reasons why she isn't necessarily desirable. Full Review

Tom Long
June 24, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

The result is a small, delicate comedy that depends on a continuity of tone that it pulls off. Oliver may not live happily ever after; but he manages to live happily enough here, and that's just fine. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
June 24, 2011
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

An exercise in briny Welsh Weltzschmerz that tracks the inner and outer worlds of a confused teenage boy. Full Review

Ty Burr
June 16, 2011
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

"Submarine'' has its own specific miseries and darkly funny vibe. It makes quirkiness briefly seem like a good thing again. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
June 16, 2011
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

For an unreliable narrator, Oliver's story is reliably entertaining. Full Review

J. R. Jones
June 10, 2011
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Ayoade owes a debt to Wes Anderson, but the parents here are so beautifully written, and Hawkins and Taylor particularize them so well, that the movie manages to hold its own. Full Review

Jennie Punter
June 10, 2011
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

These things could have easily resulted in a mass outbreak of broad comedy, but the actors play their roles completely straight. In Submarine, you truly ache through the awkward moments -- even as you... Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
June 10, 2011
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

There are no really profound insights in "Submarine" except this: That you'll never really know another person unless you're willing to take the plunge. Full Review

Michael Phillips
June 9, 2011
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

I suggest you take a chance on "Submarine" and find out if its particular comic angst rings any bells, be you male or be you female, Welsh or American, 16 or 61. Full Review

Roger Ebert
June 9, 2011
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's a self-confident work for the first-time director, Richard Ayoade, whose purpose I think is to capture that delicate moment in some adolescent lives when idealism and trust lead to tentative expe... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Jordana Bevan: Fuck, you look like a serial killer.
    • Oliver Tate: In my other recurring dream, I mentally rehearse the end scene. The one where its getting dark and I mistake a girl for Jordana. A girl with the exact same frame and the exact same hair. And when she turns around, I see her face is nothing like Jordana's. And she asks, 'Do I know you?', I look traumatized and say No. You dont know me... You dont know me at all.
    • Oliver Tate: Her new boyfriend has an incredibly long neck. Just thinking about giraffes makes me angry.
    • Oliver Tate: My mother is worried I have mental problems. I found a book about teenage paranoid delusions during a routine search of my parents' bedroom.
    • Oliver Tate: In many ways I prefer my own company, it gives me time to think.
    • Oliver Tate: Most people think of themselves as individuals, that there's no one on the planet like them.
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Submarine Trivia

  • What was the name of the submarine which was captained by Sean Connery in a 1990 movie the Hunt for ____ _____?  Answer »
  • In which movie where American naval troops stuck on a German submarine?  Answer »
  • I had my breakthrough in a Tony Scott film, I played a Lieutenant on a submarine, I played a bodyguard, an assassin, a back-stabbing, ruthless boss in a Coen brothers film, played a warden, a political adviser, and I am a television icon. Who am I?  Answer »
  • Who were the two submarine captains in "K19: The Widowmaker"?  Answer »
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