Pirate Radio
Movie Summary of Pirate Radio by Michael the Moviegoer.
PIRATE RADIO = **
“Rock This Boat, Please”
A rebellion between two generations in the 1950s grew into a rock ‘n’ roll revolution. The losers were on the side of those who proclaimed rock music was just a fad that would soon pass. More than half-a-century later, rock music is still alive and well. In “Pirate Radio”, the new movie from Richard Curtis, Kenneth Branagh is hilarious as a Hitler-like government official who declares war on rock music and a band of renegade DJs who broadcast from a ship in the North Sea. Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of those DJs.
Written, originally filmed and released in the UK under the cool title “The Boat That Rocked”, some marketing numbskull decided to change the title to “Pirate Radio” for a U.S. release. No doubt this was done in a desperate yet feeble attempt to confuse U.S. audiences into thinking this movie has some connection to the “Pirates Of The Caribbean” franchise which also stars ‘Boat’ DJ Bill Nighy (he played Davy Jones).
Sadly, this movie doesn’t seem to be about what it wants to be about. The politics of this generational musical conflict are never examined. And the DJs come off as being less passionate about music than they are about adolescent sexual antics. Too often “Pirate Radio” feels more like “National Lampoon’s Animal House” set on a boat.
The story is set in the mid 1960s when The Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones revolutionized pop culture and changed music forever. But there isn’t even a hint of an explanation as to why the older more conservative generation felt threatened by this music. Despite what the ads will have you believe, the music in “Pirate Radio” is dominated more by the bouncier melodic pop hits of the time. It just makes it all the more mysterious as to why anyone would feel threatened by the music of The Turtles or The Beach Boys. And for a movie about music that’s set in the 60s, what the hell is David Bowie’s 1983 hit “Let’s Dance” doing on the soundtrack?
Absent the passion for music that exists in films like Cameron Crowe’s brilliant “Almost Famous”, this ‘Boat’ isn’t rocking, it’s sinking.
DVD Double Feature: In 1998 Bill Nighy gave a career-defining performance as a washed-up 70s rock star trying to reunite with his band to stage a comeback after 20 years. “Still Crazy” is a hilarious comedy and it’s also a heartfelt love letter to UK rock bands trying to stay relevant as they approach their senior years. A generation gap of a different sort.
Michael The Moviegoer