Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Nick Frost

"Pirate Radio" is the high-spirited story of how eight DJs' love affair with rock 'n' roll changed the world forever. In the 1960s, this group of rogue DJs, on a boat in the middle of the Northern Atl...( read more  read more... )antic, played rock records and broke the law all for the love of music. The songs they played united and defined an entire generation and drove the British government crazy. By playing rock 'n' roll they were standing up against the British government who did everything in their power to shut them down. The band of rebels is lead by The Count, Quentin the boss of Radio Rock, Gavin the greatest DJ in Britain, Midnight Mark, Doctor Dave and Young Carl who comes of age amidst the chaos of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. The film features an unbelievable selection of music including The Beatles, The Stones, Beach Boys, Dusty Springfield, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Smokey Robinson, David Bowie, Otis Redding, Cat Stevens just to name a few. The film is laugh out loud funny and speaks to the rock 'n' roll rebel in all of us.

Flixster Users

75% liked it

194,049 ratings

Critics

56% liked it

70 critics

R, 2 hrs. 9 min.

Directed by: Richard Curtis

Release Date: November 13, 2009

Invite friends to see Get Showtimes

Get It:

Stats: 4,129 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (4,129)


  • November 12, 2009
    Fun but dissapointing. Story is all over the place. Bill Nighty is the standout.
  • November 12, 2009
    After a delayed North American release and a title change, "Pirate Radio" (known in the UK as "The Boat that Rocked") finally makes it's way to an American audience. The film, although boasting a prestigious cast and director, isn't so much awards bait as it is a welcome distract...( read more)ion from the gloom that awaits us in the form of the big Oscar pictures like "The Road" or "Precious".

    The film begins in 1966, a time where rock-and-roll was largely banned on British airwaves. With the movement taking enormous steam, however, a loophole was found by broadcasting offshore. These DJ's, serving essentially as pirates, were a welcome distraction from the typical dreary news broadcasts that inhabited BBC.

    Each DJ becomes a sort of cult icon. The most well known of the men is named The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an American willing to, quite literally, die for music. The closest thing we have to a protagonist, a young virgin named Carl (Tom Sturridge), is welcomed and soon embraced by his new companions.

    "Pirate Radio" plays like a television series more than anything else. It's vignettes are loosely connected, dealing with a specific relationship for ten minutes or so at a time before abandoning it. The film has a tendency to feel sloppy for that reason, but it also makes it fairly easy to digest - it's as if you're watching a group of shorts.

    Perhaps the biggest standout in the cast is Kenneth Branagh, who wisely overplays a prim-and-proper 60's conservative. There aren't a lot of people in the world who can get consistent laughs by calling somebody "Twatt". Nick Frost, from the Edgar Wright movies, is also startlingly good - while Simon Pegg's career as a lead isn't exactly flourishing, Frost may be well on the right track.

    Although it may be far from Curtis' previous efforts, "Pirate Radio" succeeds on it's charisma alone. It's performances are so lively, so likable. Quite simply, the film works because you enjoy spending time with these people.
  • August 23, 2009
    British cinema is one I love and respect beyond anything. The cast in this movie is unbelievably capable of everything and they certainly prove so, since everyone delivers a great performance -performances like the kind we've missed from Hollywood movies. The music is -of course-...( read more) freaking awesome since it's the best rock 'n' roll of the 1960's, and the movie succeeds in everything it sets out to accomplish. It has its highs and it even manages to offer a couple of brave and emotional moments.

    However, it is unbearably slow and far-dragged and it lacks action, which can undeniably make it harsh to bear. It could have offered so much more, and it simply fails. It's highly unlikely and the humor isn't that of the genuine British texture. I would have wanted to like this movie more, but the buzz, the elongation and the frivolity of it failed me.

    PS. This movie has the best poster I've ever seen!
  • August 22, 2009
    It's a passable, if overlong, piece of fluff. But you'll have completely forgotten about it less than an hour later.
  • August 19, 2009
    "1 Boat. 8 DJs. No Morals."

    A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960's.

    REVIEW

    I found this film refreshing, indulgent and exciting. I am a fan of consistency...( read more), and true to form Richard Curtis and everyone else involved have delivered an experience that is bright, British and a little bit naughty. Philip Seymour Hoffman's warmth and charisma were effortless and enigmatic. The film made you feel like you were part of the in-joke.

    Visually, I fell in love with the variety of cool cats on board The Boat. Their individual persona made them less Daphne and Freddie, and more Lennon and Buckley. I adore films that give you a little of what you want, and a lot of what you don't expect. This film was funny in a way I hadn't prepared for. A sign of a successful film personally, as a bit of a dreamer, is to want to be part of the experience on screen. And that's the feeling I got after watching the film. I wanted to be involved. I also wanted to see how many songs from the soundtrack I already own (I was singing along to a lot of the music).

    I have to say, this film was cool. The topic was cool. Characters, cool. Aesthetics, cool. Music, (of course) cool. In the end there was a boat, and on that boat a very cool British film was made.
  • November 19, 2009
    Pirate radio? Emmm... no thx.
    I'd say doing pirate music would've been more edgy...
  • November 19, 2009
    Funny and full of amusing humor.
  • November 19, 2009
    Decent. Not as much of a political/historical movie as I'd hoped, but fun, seemed to portray the message of pirate radio well enough. Although the Titanic-ness of the ending kinda ruined that part for me.
  • November 19, 2009
    Went to see this with my roommate last night, and it was the best movie I've seen ever!!!!!! Its funny, smart, silly, and suspenseful. Its a must see for everyone, and the soundtrack is amazing! Superb cast as well.
  • November 18, 2009
    Predictable ending, but thoroughly entertaining on its way to the ending.

Critic Reviews


November 13, 2009
Kurt Loder, MTV

The story has structural problems that no amount of editing could finesse, and in the end they capsize the picture. full review

November 13, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

The film's original title was The Boat That Rocked. Indeed, these freewheeling, swinging '60s DJs braved their own Titanic to keep on rocking in the free world. full review

November 12, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The boat nearly sinks from character overload, and Curtis brakes when you most want him to gun it. But there's no denying the comic energy of the cast. full review

November 12, 2009
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Despite Curtis' bumbling, Pirate Radio manages to stay afloat bravely enough -- at least until the climax, which comes off as a confused marriage between Top of the Pops and Titanic. full review

November 12, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

This might sound like a sentimental recipe, but Richard Curtis, who wrote and directed, keeps the spirit fresh and anarchic. full review

November 12, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Imagine the dullest moments from Almost Famous and the lamest bits from Animal House held together with clumsy Frankenstein stitching. Now punch yourself in the face. There you go. full review

November 12, 2009
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Pirate Radio takes a great story -- the hugely popular offshore radio stations that illegally broadcast pop and rock in 1960s Britain -- and turns it into an aggressively irritating floating frat-part... full review

November 12, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Here the plot doesn't require a reason for the characters to keep running into one another; there's nowhere they can hide. No coincidences means more development. And the wall-to-wall '60s rock keeps ... full review

November 8, 2009
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

Writer-director Richard Curtis is about as rock n' roll as the average great-grandmother, so it's no surprise that Pirate Radio, his ode to the irrepressible spirit of '60s classic rock, has all the e... full review

April 3, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

A woebegone crew of comedy turns worthy of a bad Carry On film. full review

View more Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • Musicmovielove
    November 2, 2009
    OMG, This is a must see on my movie list. It looks like its going to be pretty funny from what I’ve seen in the trailer clips. I know its going to make me reminisce especially because it was during the time when classic rock hits were made! I’ve been listening to their station on iheartradio online iheartradio.com/pirateradio and its just amazing. It’s making me so anxious to see Pirate Rock. I love it, Rock n Roll is never too old.
  • Zhuliya
    August 17, 2009
    You got perfectly to the point ccathrine! Great review.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Love Actually
    Love Actually (50%)
  • 54
    54 (67%)
  • Pump up the Volume
    Pump up the Volume (100%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Theater Showtimes


No showtimes found.

Pirate Radio (The... : Watch Free on TV


Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked) Trivia

Most Popular Skin