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‘Pirate Radio’ is salty, irreverent, impossible to dislike
(by Stacey Rynders - November 25, 2009)
Pirate Radio is humorously irreverent and basks in the rebel attitude of its rock-and-roll musical homage.
Forget sentimentality — Pirate Radio is steadfastly a comedy that draws on enjoyable larger-than-life characters and brings a roster of talented actors to invigorate these personas without relying on predictable slapstick humor for laughs.
Pirate Radio is set in 1966 off the coast of Britain on an old tanker ship. From this vessel, which is anchored just outside of British regulation, a group of rogue music enthusiasts broadcast 24/7 the underground music of The Who, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix along with other rock legends.
Much to the government’s dismay, more than half the British population regularly tunes in to hear the “pirate radio” shows. The lewd and daring deejays become cult favorites as the music and groundbreaking concept of all-day rock radio storms the nation.
Simply, the stiff government is not so hip to this movement. Enter Kenneth Branagh as a Hitleresque Sir Alistair Dormandy and his aspiring right-hand man, Jack Davenport, as Mr. Twatt. Together the two conspire to bring down Pirate Radio.
Meanwhile, to punish her 18-year-old son, Carl (Tom Sturridge), a single mother ships him off to stay with his godfather, Quentin (Bill Nighy), the fearless funding and marketing orchestrator of Pirate Radio. Considering the ship’s notoriety, it is obvious that Carl’s mother has a colorful sense of humor. No doubt, the experience proves a coming-of-age tale for young Carl — all of which is chronicled via the deejays to the entire nation of Britain.
On ship is a colorful ensemble of deejays. The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) rules the roost as the American ex-patriot who is the epitome of cool until legendary Gavin (Rhys Ifans) returns to the ship and the two wage a battle for the ship’s kingpin title.
The others are more aptly the misfits. There is the Austin-Powers-like prowess of Dave (Nick Frost), the love-jinxed Simon (Chris O’Dowd) and the swarthy Mark (Tom Wisdom), whose cool persona is underscored by his almost utter lack of speaking.
While the high-seas hi-jinks continue, the British government ultimately stymies the unregulated radio station, which leads to the ship’s demise. Yet, even in the film’s most dramatic scenes, a sense of humor prevails.
Much of the cast are familiar faces from writer and director Richard Curtis’ other films, including Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral. The wit, humor and slightly raucus fun found in the aforementioned films is certainly evident in Pirate Radio, which makes for an entertaining cinematic experience that appeals to a broad audience.
The plot itself is influenced by the pirate radio ships that did exist in the 1960s, as well as some of the most popular deejays of the era and a few actual events. However, Curtis’ film is purely fiction, perhaps an homage to memories of his youth, which would explain the airy and godly depiction of the pirate radio adventure.
While the storyline is fun and vivacious, the top-tier cast brings the gusto in this film. Hoffman simply can’t help but be a standout in anything he plays; from the disturbing to the comedic, Hoffman embodies his characters, and The Count is no exception. Emma Thompson makes a glamorous appearance as Carl’s mother, Charlotte, a rebel ahead of her time and notorious for bringing the 1950s to life in the same way as the legendary 1960s. Then there is Nighy, whose quirky cool, don’t-care ease and colorful suits always bring a fun flair.
Unless you live a stiff and structured lifestyle, it is difficult not to like Pirate Radio. It’s playful, dreamy, naughty and full of good music and costuming. Whether you catch this film at the theater or not, you are sure to see Pirate Radio more than once in your life and enjoy it as much the second time as you did the first. (Although, it is better if you see it on the silver screen or DVD; editing for television will be, sadly, a little less saucy).
• Pirate Radio is currently playing at the Chase Park Cinemas, located at 212 North Kingshighway Blvd.
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