Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll... On a boat. Sixty years before T-Pain ever thought about it.
Pirate Radio
starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Darby, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh, Jack Davenport, Rhys Ifans, January Jones, Emma Thompson, Tom Sturridge
directed by Richard Curtis
Remember Mr. Bean? Weird, off beat British humor guy from late night BBC? Well, the director of such English oddities, Mr. Richard Curtis, has come a long way. Sure, he brought us Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually, but he unfortunately also gave us both Bridget Jones films. Sorry ladies, I must speak the truth. Thankfully, Curtis took a step out of his comfort zone and created perhaps one of the most inspiring and well constructed independent films of the year. Its still got that Brit flair, which is not a bad thing by any means; but Pirate Radio takes what seems like a wild romp at sea and peers deeper into what was really going on aboard Rock Radio in 1966. Something called Rock and Roll.
Carl (Sturridge) has been expelled from school, and his mother decides to send him to spend time with his godfather Quentin (Nighy). Quentin just so happens to be the leader of a band of renegade disc jockeys that broadcast pop and rock and roll from a ship in the British North Sea. The government has banned pop from the radio waves on shore, but the Rock Radio crew is out of bounds to them; but if its up to Sir Alistair Dormandy (Branagh) they’ll be shut down before the year’s out. Carl has his own coming of age story while living with the motley crew; The Count (Hoffman) is an American DJ that is on the boat for the soul purpose to spread the gospel of rock and roll. Dave (Frost) is determined to get Carl laid for the first time. Angus (Darby) tells the jokes. And the list goes on. They valiantly push forward and around the governments attempts to shut them down, and have what The Count bitterly refers to as the ‘time of their lives’ in the process. But, as is life, all good things must come to a close.
The acting in the film is impeccable. I personally believe if handed the part of a talking door knob, Philip Seymour Hoffman could win an Academy Award doing it. His performance as the Count is fun and fantastic, if unfortunately basic. Fairly new Sturridge keeps up well with the talents of such as Cill Nighy, Hoffman, and Nick Frost. He is by no means over shadowed. Perhaps the best compliment I can give the cast, however, is in the chemistry they all display. Never have I seen a cast of so many seem so close and personal. You can tell they had a blast making the film, and that makes all the difference in most film acting. The scenes seemed more like a family gathering or party than a day on the set, working. It was enjoying just to sit back and watch.
Though directed beautifully and written wonderfully, the plot did lack a bit. The government interference is more a side note than a main plot point. The story revolved more around Carl and his being exposed to the world and growing up rather than about Rock Radio itself. I feel like more time could have been spent fleshing out the details of the dispute, and how certain parties were dealing with it. Instead we get what is more of a family’s home video, with bits of funny situations and witty dialogue. The trailer leads you in one direction, the movie takes you in another.
Having said that, if you pay too much attention to all the madness, you will miss the entire point of the film. Its just about Rock and Roll. Its about rebellion. Its about freedom and youth. This group, through all their folly, stood in the face of censorship and played on. Instead of folding time again like what was expected, the Pirates of Rock Radio kept the air waves full of the music that 93% of the British population listened to and loved. The movie is not so much about plot or story or even situation except for what it shows about the free spirit of Rock and Roll music. If you blink, you’ll miss the all important ‘point.’ And when viewed as such, the only way you can view the film is as a masterpiece of pop culture adoration.
Overall, I loved it. Hilarious and profound all in its own fashion. Go in and enjoy the situations, the clever comedy, and the rebel cause. See the turning point in a boy’s life and watch him have his own, if odd, coming of age. But at the same time, pull back and see the film for what it is; true blue Rock and Roll. You’ll either get it or you won’t, but either way it is totally worth the viewing. Give Pirate Radio a few years and it’ll be forgotten in the main stream. However, it is one of those few modern works of genius that will become a cult classic and will mean so much to a group of so little. But maybe its better that way, afterall.
The Boat That Rocked
Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll... On a boat. Sixty years before T-Pain ever thought about it.
Pirate Radio
starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Darby, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh, Jack Davenport, Rhys Ifans, January Jones, Emma Thompson, Tom Sturridge
directed by Richard Curtis
Remember Mr. Bean? Weird, off beat British humor guy from late night BBC? Well, the director of such English oddities, Mr. Richard Curtis, has come a long way. Sure, he brought us Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually, but he unfortunately also gave us both Bridget Jones films. Sorry ladies, I must speak the truth. Thankfully, Curtis took a step out of his comfort zone and created perhaps one of the most inspiring and well constructed independent films of the year. Its still got that Brit flair, which is not a bad thing by any means; but Pirate Radio takes what seems like a wild romp at sea and peers deeper into what was really going on aboard Rock Radio in 1966. Something called Rock and Roll.
Carl (Sturridge) has been expelled from school, and his mother decides to send him to spend time with his godfather Quentin (Nighy). Quentin just so happens to be the leader of a band of renegade disc jockeys that broadcast pop and rock and roll from a ship in the British North Sea. The government has banned pop from the radio waves on shore, but the Rock Radio crew is out of bounds to them; but if its up to Sir Alistair Dormandy (Branagh) they’ll be shut down before the year’s out. Carl has his own coming of age story while living with the motley crew; The Count (Hoffman) is an American DJ that is on the boat for the soul purpose to spread the gospel of rock and roll. Dave (Frost) is determined to get Carl laid for the first time. Angus (Darby) tells the jokes. And the list goes on. They valiantly push forward and around the governments attempts to shut them down, and have what The Count bitterly refers to as the ‘time of their lives’ in the process. But, as is life, all good things must come to a close.
The acting in the film is impeccable. I personally believe if handed the part of a talking door knob, Philip Seymour Hoffman could win an Academy Award doing it. His performance as the Count is fun and fantastic, if unfortunately basic. Fairly new Sturridge keeps up well with the talents of such as Cill Nighy, Hoffman, and Nick Frost. He is by no means over shadowed. Perhaps the best compliment I can give the cast, however, is in the chemistry they all display. Never have I seen a cast of so many seem so close and personal. You can tell they had a blast making the film, and that makes all the difference in most film acting. The scenes seemed more like a family gathering or party than a day on the set, working. It was enjoying just to sit back and watch.
Though directed beautifully and written wonderfully, the plot did lack a bit. The government interference is more a side note than a main plot point. The story revolved more around Carl and his being exposed to the world and growing up rather than about Rock Radio itself. I feel like more time could have been spent fleshing out the details of the dispute, and how certain parties were dealing with it. Instead we get what is more of a family’s home video, with bits of funny situations and witty dialogue. The trailer leads you in one direction, the movie takes you in another.
Having said that, if you pay too much attention to all the madness, you will miss the entire point of the film. Its just about Rock and Roll. Its about rebellion. Its about freedom and youth. This group, through all their folly, stood in the face of censorship and played on. Instead of folding time again like what was expected, the Pirates of Rock Radio kept the air waves full of the music that 93% of the British population listened to and loved. The movie is not so much about plot or story or even situation except for what it shows about the free spirit of Rock and Roll music. If you blink, you’ll miss the all important ‘point.’ And when viewed as such, the only way you can view the film is as a masterpiece of pop culture adoration.
Overall, I loved it. Hilarious and profound all in its own fashion. Go in and enjoy the situations, the clever comedy, and the rebel cause. See the turning point in a boy’s life and watch him have his own, if odd, coming of age. But at the same time, pull back and see the film for what it is; true blue Rock and Roll. You’ll either get it or you won’t, but either way it is totally worth the viewing. Give Pirate Radio a few years and it’ll be forgotten in the main stream. However, it is one of those few modern works of genius that will become a cult classic and will mean so much to a group of so little. But maybe its better that way, afterall.