Great music in ‘Pirate Radio’ (4/5)

Pirate Radio

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost, Tom Sturridge
Directed by: Richard Curtis
Rating: R for language, and some sexual content including brief nudity.
Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes.

Although they forego the eyepatches and parrots, the DJs of Radio Rock are every bit the devil-may-care protagonists as the swashbuckling pirates of yore (or of “Pirates of the Caribbean”).

In 1966, the Radio Rock ship floats anchored off the British shore in the North Sea. Known as “The Boat That Rocked” in England, “Pirate Radio” tells the tale of the off-beat station’s quirky DJs and their love affairs with the frowned-upon music genre known as rock.

“Pirate Radio” is loosely based off of similar situations that occurred in the late ’60s, but is mostly a fictional tale. Something to be understood up front is that the movie is not historically accurate. Writer/director Richard Curtis took liberty with some names, events and music chronology in order to (in his eyes) properly tailor the film into its overall feel.

“Pirate Radio” is a comedic tribute to the revolutionary sounds of rock at a time and place where that very genre is being threatened.

Rock music has been seen as an expression of instincts — of sex and drugs and, well, rock and roll. Of man’s wild and uninhibited side that some revel in while others fear.

That fear is portrayed magnificently by the austere, classical-music-loving duo British Government Minister Dormandy (a magnificently stodgy Kenneth Branagh) and his subordinate (Jack Davenport). With the endorsement of the Prime Minister, the pair work to shut down Radio Rock and all other rock-broadcasting ships.

The DJs of Radio Rock not only live for the music, but also to share it (as said in a deleted scene, “we’re only fans.”) Their eccentricities are manifestations of the ’60s rebellion of thought and lifestyle. The DJs, led by Quentin (Bill Nighy in a comfortable role), include:

• The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the uncouth American Airwave King.

• Gavin (Rhys Ifans), the haughty star DJ.

• Simple Simon (Chris O’Dowd), the naive nice guy (who just may be my favorite of the lot).

• Dr. Dave (Nick Frost), the big and “beautiful.” A note about this particular character: Dr. Dave perfectly exemplifies the type of men I would see on TV shows and old photographs and look at my mother (with a little bit of fear and a lotta bit of disgust) — “Mom, you found that attractive?”

But, despite his sloppy appearance and vulgar demeanor, Dr. Dave is quite the lothario — somehow.
To be fair, I can imagine 40 years from now a young upstart such as myself looking with disdain from a photo of Brad Pitt in “Fight Club” to my wrinkled face and saying “You found that attractive?”

OK, well perhaps not Brad Pitt, but you get the point.

Other notable “crew members” of Radio Rock are Young Carl (Tom Sturridge), Quentin’s godson — whose role seems major at first but, compared to the engaging DJs, he never is able to steal the show — and his roommate, the dim-witted Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke).

These characters absolutely make this movie. They are hilarious and captivating; however, the downside to such a star-studded ensemble is that some characters get short shrift. Too, the film seems to drag at times and appears to be trying too hard to focus on too many characters.

And though “Pirate Radio” does run a bit long (but, come on, many of those old rock songs are three times the length of the current tracks on the radio), I would definitely recommend checking out some of the deleted scenes. If you have the patience for only one, be sure to check out Gavin’s background tale.

If you’re a fan of the music, I think you’ll also be a fan of the film. Luckily, my mother has wonderful taste (apart from her love for The Bee Gees which I try to ignore) and brought me up to appreciate these awesome bands. The soundtrack is, by its very nature, rockin’. With tracks from Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, The Beach Boys, The Kinks and so on, “Pirate Radio” will have you in the classic rock groove for days.

4 of 5 stars