Review: Pirate Radio (2009)

[Steve Rhodes]

PIRATE RADIO
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2009 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  ***

"If God was a DJ, he'd be on this boat," declares one of the DJs aboard a 
boat called Radio Rock.  Permanently stationed off the coast of Britain in 
1966, the very dilapidated, old fishing boat provides the homeland their 
daily (and nightly) dose of rock 'n roll.  Thanks to tight control by the 
government, the few stations on the air are not permitted to broadcast the 
filthy rock 'n roll.  The stations have to stick strictly to the approved 
fare of classical music, educational programs and news.  Needless to say, 
almost all of the teenagers and many of the adults have their radios 
permanently tuned to Radio Rock.

PIRATE RADIO, written and directed by Richard Curtis, who in 2004 gave us 
the marvelous Christmas gift of LOVE ACTUALLY, is consistently and 
delightfully entertaining.  If the movie has a downside, it's that its great 
music from the 1960s sometimes outshines the narrative.
All of the characters are wonderfully quirky but never too far over the top. 
The number one DJ on board is The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), but his 
position is challenged when Gavin (Rhys Ifans), a legendary DJ dressed in a 
purple velvet coat and with a feathered, long brimmed hat, makes his 
dramatic arrival.  Speaking to his avid listeners only in sexy whispers, 
Gavin is every girl's dream guy.

Meanwhile back in London, Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), a 
beady-eyed guy with a Hitler mustache, fumes.  A government official who 
wants to shut off the boat's transmission but is having trouble figuring how 
to do it, he screams at underlings.  "The whole point of being the 
government," he lectures them, "is that, if you don't like something, you 
can pass a law to make it illegal!"

Although Quentin (Bill Nighy), who appears to occupy the position of station 
manager, worries about being shut down, the rest of crew is too busy 
partying like there is no tomorrow, especially during the monthly visits by 
the colorfully dressed girls who come to service the crew.

A DJ nicknamed Smooth Bob (Ralph Brown) is perhaps the most unusual guy in a 
strange lot.  Since he does the 3am to 6am timeslot, it isn't until he has 
been on the ship for seven months that any of the other DJs ever see him. 
His signature phrase is the single word of "cool," always spoken in hushed 
whispers.

The film's dialog varies between cute and wacky.  Typical of the latter 
comes when a pudgy DJ, who, for some reason, is a real chick magnet, 
proclaims, "I need to pull the pin on my love grenade."

Never hilarious but consistently funny, the film never rises to the level of 
LOVE ACTUALLY, which is a very high standard in my book.  In a film that 
seems designed to be relatively surprise free, it has a remarkably 
surprising last act.

PIRATE RADIO runs 2:00.  It is rated R for "language, and some sexual 
content including brief nudity" and would be acceptable for teenagers.

The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, November 13, 2009. 
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Cinemark 
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.

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Email: Steve.Rhodes at InternetReviews.com

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