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Rating: Country: USA Release Date: November 13, 2009 Distributor: Universal Pictures Director: · Richard Curtis Cast: · Philip Seymour Hoffman · Bill Nighy · Kenneth Branagh · Tom Sturridge · Rhys Ifans · Katherine Parkinson Related Sites: · Visit the official "Pirate Radio" website! Grade: A

I think I would have greatly enjoyed the 1960s. The decade was tumultuous to be sure, but no other decade can boast such diverse creativity in music. The early rock and roll of the 1950s was born of rhythm and blues and in the 1960s it had reached maturity as a genre all its own. There was a spirit of discovery in those days, of finding what it was that truly moved you and embracing it. What moved much of England at that time was pirate radio.

Based on true events surrounding the famous Radio Caroline, "Pirate Radio" is a fictitious tale set in 1966 off the coast of England, and is one of the funniest movies of the year. The Radio Rock is a ship repurposed as a radio station, anchored in international waters and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the British government. The ship hosts a strange assortment of characters, including American DJ "The Count" (Philip Seymour Hoffman), too smooth Gavin (Rhys Ifans), affable Simon (Chris O'Dowd) and bombastic Dave (Nick Frost), among others. However, the story revolves around young Carl (Tom Sturridge) who has come to live under the care of his godfather, the ship's captain, Quintin (Bill Nighy). It's his "coming of age" story, as Carl learns about friendship, love, and standing up for something he believes in. He even manages to unravel his life's greatest mysteries: women and his long absent father. The crew's shenanigans are a cause for concern in the British government, and veteran actor Kenneth Branagh is wonderful as the maniacal Sir Alistair Dormandy who zealously works within the halls of power to crush Radio Rock.

The sophomore directorial effort of Richard Curtis, "Pirate Radio" was originally released to theaters in the United Kingdom in April as "The Boat That Rocks" to a resounding thud. It pulled in revenues of just over 6 million pounds, coming nowhere close to recouping its cost. I am amazed by the generally average to low reviews and lack of commercial success, because I found it to be a very enjoyable film that drew hearty laughs throughout its 135 minute runtime. Curtis manages to give his large cast enough individual screen time to flesh everyone out to some degree, allowing the audience to find sympathy for each character while never losing sight that this is Carl's story. Some American audiences may be turned off to the predominantly British cast and the prevalent English accents, so I'm told. I'm amazed by that too, since American audiences have pumped millions into film franchises like the "Lord of The Rings," "Harry Potter," and "Batman" -- oh yes, except for Morgan Freeman and the Dark Knight's love interests, Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the rest of the cast is English or Australian. If you can follow what Rupert Grint says as Ron Weasley in the potter films, the accents should be of no concern. The actors all have a wonderful way of making their characters both odd and endearing. There seems to be a genuine chemistry amongst the cast that really comes through, and as a viewer it makes you feel at home amongst them.

Several thoughts came to mind as I watched this movie. There were moments where the film reminded me of Wes Anderson's quirky and charming farce "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." The two films share more than just a nautical theme as they are both caricatures of pop culture. Wes Anderson's picture was a humorous salute to Jacques Cousteau; Richard Curtis salutes the renegade spirit of the 1960s and the passionate champions of rock and roll who risked their very lives aboard some less-than-seaworthy vessels. I also couldn't help but feel that passion and energy for their cause. It seems that in the last forty years that passion and fire has cooled considerably. Millions of British rock enthusiasts tuned into pirate radio stations in the 60s. Where's that fire today? For all the energy put behind causes such as Farm Aid, Live Aid, AIDS research and so forth not so long ago, you don't hear very much about these now. Have we cured AIDS? Saved the farms? Fed Africa? No on all accounts, and with the global economy in crisis, we could as a race stand to rediscover a little of that 1960s passion for living. I was also struck by the demise of radio as a major player in mass media. Television and the Internet has passed Tesla's invention by, and taken our imagination with it. It seems all radio is good for these days is background noise, weather and traffic reports, and sports play-by-play when you can't be in front of the television or attending the game live. After the screening, I spoke with a local disk jockey who also enjoyed the film, but opined that the younger generations won't get it. They won't understand what a big deal rock and roll was in its infancy nor what radio was in its day. I recalled recent History Channel specials on the John Kennedy assassination, which had a lot of footage of strangers on the street stopping and gathering around cars to find out what was happening, not running off to find a television or snapping open their cell phones to check what Yahoo News had to say. Indeed, the younger generation might not get it, but they need to.

Despite the British film critics who took exception to the rather long runtime for an ensemble comedy and the liberal re-imagining of actual events, I found "Pirate Radio" to be a terrific period picture that captured the 1960s spirit beautifully. The soundtrack rocks as you might imagine, and the actors do a fantastic job of carrying a story that can't rely on solely on special effects. Only the Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds vehicle "The Proposal" had me laughing out loud as much this year. If you're looking for an intelligent comedy or if you're a fan of pioneering 60s rock and roll, you'll find "Pirate Radio" a winner on both counts.