My mom bugged me about going to see Pirate Radio (original title: The Boat that Rocked) when it hit the theaters in 2009. I didn’t want to make the effort, blah blah busy life blah so she went and saw it her damn self like a real grown up. I only do that for movies like The Dark Knight, which nobody wanted to accompany with me after my fifth viewing. So, my mom came home raving about this film, how funny it was, how clever, how much she wants to make Bill Nighy my step-daddy (just kidding.) etc. etc. so it didn’t surprise me when she asked me to rent it for her. I had the smug duty that only a sassy adult child possesses when I told her it was already IN my Netflix queue. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Mom.
I even bumped that bitch up to the top of my queue just to prove what an awesome daughter I am. HA!
Spoiler-Free Synopsis: Upon his expulsion from school, Young Carl is sent to his stay with his godfather Quentin, who runs radio station Radio Rock on a boat in the North Sea. With hodge-podge of disc-jockeys and crew, Radio Rock ensures that Britain has access to the best pop/rock hits their country has sought fit to deny its citizens. Meanwhile, on the mainland, it is the task of government minister Sir Alistair Dormandy to shut down pirate radio for good.
While this isn’t a movie with a lot of plot twists and turns, I am giving a courtesy spoiler space regardless.
My mother was under the impression that the events depicted in this film were inspired by true events and real people, but I was skeptical from the get-go and completely convinced that it was BS by the climax of the movie. A quick Google search proved that my skepticism was spot-on: no one in this film was “real” despite the American marketing campaign tactics to tell USA audiences otherwise. It is still historical fiction, as pirate radio did exist and I’m sure the world did not want for zany pop/rock enthusiasts.
With that said, however, I enjoyed this film a lot. It’s an indulgent, guilty pleasure film the way people like mindless action films with zero plot or off-the-wall slapstick comedies. This is a British romp film, not as over the top as Monty Python, but with the right doses of chaos and cohesiveness to be an entertaining film that told a story based, at the very least, on modern history.
The tangents and irreverence of the film was found distracting and annoying to its initial British audience. 45 minutes worth of deleted scenes has been cut out of the region 1 DVDs, but is part of the bonus features. While it’s easy for me to say I loved those extra 45 minutes and would have liked to seen them included in the film, I must be honest and confess I get annoyed by too many asides (found in the likes of M*A*S*H, if you need another film as a point of reference.) On the other hands, they’re fun character add-ons. Who knows if I would have liked the movie as much were those scenes included, but I am glad that I have the option of viewing them.
I can’t rightly go through an acting grade system because the cast is many and no one person outshines the other. I will say, though, that everyone does a smashing job and a special shout out goes to Tom Sturridge who is like a British version of the smokin’ Ian Somerhalder. I want one for Christmas. OK, back to my armchair critic duties…
Overall Rating
Story: A
Execution: A-
Would I Recommend: Yes
Would I Buy: I plan to buy it for my mom
Can your Mum Watch It: She loves it and I’ll bet yours will too. Especially if she grew up in the 60s.
