--- title: "Submarine" year: 2011 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/submarine" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 18 published: "2026-09-17T07:29:10.359386+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T07:29:10.842921+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Submarine (2011) Directed by Richard Ayoade · 1h 38m · MPA R · Drama, Comedy, Romance **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 80 from 18 reviews *In a sentence:* First love is difficult enough without providing your own director’s commentary > Richard Ayoade’s *Submarine* is a funny, tender account of a teenager mistaking intelligence for understanding. Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige keep it human, even when the film works too hard at being clever. ## Synopsis In 1980s Swansea, 15-year-old Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) wants to lose his virginity and keep his parents together. He pursues Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige), while treating the marriage of Lloyd Tate (Noah Taylor) and Jill Tate (Sally Hawkins) as another problem he ought to be able to solve. A kiss under a bridge gives his romantic ambitions something concrete to work with. Oliver supplies a running commentary on his own progress, imagining himself rather better equipped for love and family trouble than he is. He has plans for everybody; other people are less willing to follow them. ## Review *Submarine* understands the embarrassment of being young and convinced that nobody else has thought quite so hard about being alive. Richard Ayoade’s adaptation of Joe Dunthorne’s novel is a funny, affectionate film, and we recommend it with one reservation: some of its visual jokes distract from the performances. Oliver Tate has decided that his first romance and his parents’ marriage require his intervention. Craig Roberts makes that confidence recognisably adolescent, with just enough doubt behind it to stop Oliver becoming a collection of jokes about a precocious boy. The voice-over matters because Oliver can explain himself much more fluently than he can deal with anybody else. The kiss under the bridge made us wince in recognition. Oliver’s elaborate self-explanations have done little to prepare him for being close to Jordana Bevan. Yasmin Paige gives Jordana enough independence to make his account of their relationship seem incomplete, and the romance benefits from that difference between them. Erik Wilson photographs that bridge kiss with the care Oliver would want for a defining romantic occasion. The comedy survives because the young people inside the picture are still awkward. Gary Williamson’s production design gives the 1980s setting a believable everyday scale, helping the family scenes stay close to ordinary domestic life. That helps when Oliver’s imagination starts making his problems seem larger than they are. Editors Nick Fenton and Chris Dickens keep the narration and fantasy sequences brisk enough to suggest a mind racing ahead of its experience. The changes in pace are funny, though the film sometimes seems reluctant to leave a scene alone once its point is clear. The music by Andrew Hewitt and Alex Turner allows some tenderness into Oliver’s relentless assessment of his progress. The soundtrack lets a feeling linger after we have understood the joke. The parents benefit from being played by Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins, who make Lloyd Tate and Jill Tate seem to have lives Oliver cannot read. He approaches their marriage as if knowing that something is wrong qualifies him to put it right. The adult performances keep that assumption from becoming the film’s own. Their scenes are touching because the uncertainty is allowed to belong to the parents, too, rather than existing solely to complicate their son’s growing up. Richard Ayoade is sometimes as pleased with a comic idea as Oliver is with a theory. We can still be thinking about a visual joke when we should be listening to an awkward conversation. Among coming-of-age comedies, this is unusually alert to the vanity of the clever outsider, though it sometimes rewards him too readily for being amusing. We would welcome a little less invention and a little more time with the actors. Watch it with someone who knew you at fifteen, if relations are still cordial. *Fi1m score 82, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics welcome Submarine as a confident, funny and warm coming-of-age debut from Richard Ayoade. Praise centres on the inventive visual storytelling, witty dialogue and performances, particularly the young leads. The reviews repeatedly credit its cinematic references with capturing a teenager’s exaggerated sense of his own importance, rather than merely advertising the director’s tastes. For many, the awkward romance and family tensions provide enough recognisable feeling to make the cleverness count. Reservations concern how far that feeling reaches and whether the storytelling sustains its early promise. The Guardian finds the film more secure in comedy than deeper emotion, while Collider points to a shaky third act and weak emotional resolution. The spread is broad, though approval is dominant: seventeen reviews are positive. The lone negative assessment, from the Evening Standard, acknowledges funny moments and solid lead performances but finds the comic sketches meandering and the self-mockery an obstacle to engagement. ### Reviews we read (18) - **Empire**, Dan Jolin (90/100, inferred): Ayoade's directorial debut is a joy, blending quirky comedy with warm-hearted drama through perfectly cast young leads and witty visual references. It marks his successful transition from TV comedy to assured big-screen talent. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/submarine-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Writer-director Richard Ayoade brings a fresh and inventive voice to a familiar coming-of-age tale, grafting cinematic wit and French New Wave energy onto the story of a 15-year-old in Wales. The film captures the frenzy of adolescent infatuation and genuine emotions beneath its clever comedy, with superb visuals, music, and performances. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jun-03-la-et-submarine-20110603-story.html) - **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (A-): The film is an achingly sad yet ribald account of a hyper-verbal oddball’s ascent into manhood. Ayoade’s assured directorial debut chronicles the emotional terrain of adolescence with uncommon grace, humor, and understated power. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/submarine-1798168452) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Ray Bennett (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a sublime adaptation of the novel that succeeds with a light touch and keen sense of the absurd. It is clever stuff and very funny, with perfect lead performances and a witty soundtrack. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/submarine-film-review-30024/) - **Sight and Sound**, Isabel Stevens (85/100, inferred): Ayoade reveals distinctive cinematic talent in his debut, a skewed teen romance about an idiosyncratic Swansea adolescent scheming to save his parents' marriage and lose his virginity. The film is praised for its subjective, self-delusional protagonist, witty observations, and cinephile flair blending French New Wave influences with British domestic comedy. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/6030/) - **Little White Lies**, Tom Seymour (4/4/4): A shy, bright, wonderfully appealing film that bucks the trend of uncool British cinema with its witty, gentle, self-deprecating take on coming-of-age in 1980s Swansea. The critic singles out its panache, love of cinema's diversities, and avoidance of indie pretensions for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/submarine) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): A spirited and warm directorial debut that is proudly cinematic, blending French New Wave, late-90s American indies, and British comedy in a retro coming-of-age tale. The critic praises the inventive storytelling, voiceover-driven direction, and the awkward romance at its bittersweet heart. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/submarine) - **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): This wry, wonderfully detailed film catches the imbalance of a morose teen with no life experience beyond pop-culture references. It nails the noble futility of the protagonist’s messy attempt to get everything exactly right. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2011/06/movie_review_submarine_surface.html) - **Slant Magazine**, Jesse Cataldo (75/100, inferred): The film succeeds by perfectly recapturing the way teenagers behave and their deadly seriousness in dramatizing minor emotional damage. Ayoade’s handle on nearly everything is promising in this impressively mature first film. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/submarine/) - **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): The familiar growing pains of a neurotic adolescent are recounted with verve and cinematic sleight of hand in this promising directorial debut. It has an idiosyncratic indie vibe and should perform adequately at home, with praise for its literary structure, voice-over, and fantasy sequences. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/submarine/5018141.article) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (70/100, inferred): The critic praises Ayoade's confident directorial debut as a witty, ironic coming-of-age comedy that is touching, sweet and very funny, comparing the exhilaration to Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead. He highlights the film's distinctive visual style and personal voice while noting it remains primarily in a comedy groove rather than fully emotional territory. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/17/submarine-review) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (70/100, inferred): The film is as smart and self-conscious as its teenage protagonist, making the most of its whimsical triviality in a coming-of-age story about first love and family trouble. The critic notes it calibrates the distance between momentous personal experiences and their ordinary reality, though significance can be overrated. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/movies/submarine-with-craig-roberts-review.html) - **Evening Standard** (40/100, inferred): Ayoade simplifies the source novel into quirky comic sketches with funny moments and solid performances from the young leads, but the film meanders, lacks momentum, and ultimately spoofs its own story in a way that prevents engagement. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/submarine-steadily-spoofs-its-own-story-7424010.html) - **Den of Geek**, Louisa Mellor (5/5): The critic hails Submarine as the definitive take on pretentious teenage life, calling it funny, beautiful and imaginative. She singles out the film's confident visual style and cinematic homages for particular acclaim. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/submarine-review/) - **HeyUGuys**, Jamie Neish (5/5): Submarine is a quirky, heartfelt indie comedy that captures the protagonist’s imaginative perspective through assured direction, witty dialogue, and naturalistic visuals. The standout cast, especially Craig Roberts, delivers performances that make it a warm, cinematic joy. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/submarine-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Andrew Grant (90/100, inferred): Ayoade has created one of the best coming-of-age films with his assured debut, thanks to its richly developed lead character and honest take on teenage emotions. The film excels through strong writing, performances, and stylish cinematic nods that enhance rather than overwhelm its emotional core. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/submarine-film-review-by-andrew-grant) - **Digital Spy**, Simon Reynolds (85/100, inferred): Simon Reynolds celebrates Ayoade's inventive directorial debut as a beautifully observed story of first love, heartbreak and family tensions. He particularly notes the strong performances, especially Paddy Considine's memorable turn. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a300061/submarine/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B): The critic praises the film's enchanting visual style, strong performances, and comic wit as a grand announcement for director Ayoade, while noting a shaky third act and weak emotional resolution. [Read](https://collider.com/review-submarine/) ## Details - **Director:** Richard Ayoade - **Director:** Richard Ayoade - **Writer:** Richard Ayoade - **Novel:** Joe Dunthorne - **Cinematography:** Erik Wilson - **Editor:** Nick Fenton, Chris Dickens - **Music:** Andrew Hewitt, Alex Turner - **Production design:** Gary Williamson - **Costume design:** Charlotte Walter - **Producer:** Andy Stebbing, Mark Herbert, Rebecca Davies - **Cast:** Noah Taylor as Lloyd Tate; Paddy Considine as Graham Purvis; Craig Roberts as Oliver Tate; Yasmin Paige as Jordana Bevan; Sally Hawkins as Jill Tate; Steffan Rhodri as Mr. Davey; Darren Evans as Chips; Osian Cai Dulais as Mark Pritchard - **Runtime:** 1h 38m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 3 June 2011 - **Genres:** Drama, Comedy, Romance - **Budget:** $2 million - **Box office:** $864,659 - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CAntLzsQ74 ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: rent $1.99, sd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AU, CA, ES, GB, IE, IT, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Rushmore* (1998), Fi1m 83: Another self-appointed expert on life discovers that other people have their own plans. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/rushmore.md) - *Gregory's Girl* (1981): Scottish teenage courtship, with less self-analysis and just as much difficulty speaking plainly. - *The 400 Blows* (1959), Fi1m 91: A more bruising account of adolescence, alert to the child adults keep misreading. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows.md) - *A Swedish Love Story* (1970): Young attraction and unhappy adults, observed with patience and little interest in reassurance. - *Linda Linda Linda* (2005): Japanese schoolgirls prepare a band performance while friendship develops through awkward pauses. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/submarine