Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked) poster & wallpaper
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Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh ... see more see more... , January Jones , Tom Sturridge , Jack Davenport , Ralph Brown , Chris O'Dowd , Tom Brooke , Rhys Darby , Will Adamsdale , Katherine Parkinson , Emma Thompson , Tom Wisdom , Talulah Riley , Gemma Arterton , Ike Hamilton , Olivia Llewellyn , Michael Hadley , Lucy Fleming , Amanda Fairbank-Hynes , Francesca Longrigg , Charlie Rowe , Sinead Matthews , Stephen Moore , Olegar Fedoro , David Sterne , Bo Poraj , Michael Thomas , William Ilkley , Ian Mercer , Gudmundur Audunsson , Tomas Andrisiunas , Kris Gummerus , Duncan Foster , Katie Lyons , Kirsty Mather , Lana Davidson , Edward Hancock , Sarah Forster , Poppy Delevingne , Ocean Moon , Tuuli Shipster

In mid- to late-'60s Britain, an unusual yet colorful subculture sprang up and thrived as a product of the upswing in British pop music, only to meet its doom within a few short years. Though the BBC ... read more read more...functioned as the country's main source of news and music, its programmers offered very little airtime to rock & roll -- which left an overwhelming need unfulfilled. In response, small bands of "pirate" radio enthusiasts set up broadcasting towers on boats just outside of English boundary waters, and transmitted signals to an estimated 25 million listeners, 24 hours a day and seven days per week. Unsurprisingly, the DJs who took charge of these broadcasts could rival just about anyone in terms of flamboyance and outsized personalities. With Pirate Radio (released as The Boat That Rocked in the U.K.), writer-director Richard Curtis (Love Actually) travels back to the Swinging Sixties and takes a headfirst plunge into this colorful realm.The story opens in 1966, aboard a rusty fishing trawler christened Radio Rock and equipped with pirate broadcasting equipment. Here, the slightly daft elitist Quentin (Bill Nighy) presides over a motley crew of joint-toking, sex-hungry disc jockeys including Dave (Nick Frost), a heavyset boob who nevertheless considers himself a hot property with women and loves to chase skirts; "The Count" (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an American DJ who aspires to be the first person to drop an F-bomb over the British airwaves; the gloom-laden Irishman Simon (Chris O'Dowd); bonked-out hipster Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke); womanizer Mark (Tom Wisdom); Angus (Rhys Darby), a New Zealander whom nobody likes; and the only female member of the group, lesbian cook Felicity (Katherine Parkinson). These misfits pull off quite a show -- enough of one that they attain the status of national idols for the youth culture -- but the super-conservative government minister Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) detests the whole business and will do almost anything in his power to shut them down. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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72% liked it

258,598 ratings

Critics

60% liked it

153 critics

R, 1 hr. 57 min.

Directed by: Richard Curtis

Release Date: November 13, 2009

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DVD Release Date: April 13, 2010

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Stats: 7,504 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (7,504)

  • aquateen2
    March 6, 2012
    aquateen2
    The boat nearly sinks halfway through but it redeems itself with 60's culture refrences and pure comedic skill. It was likable and welcoming as I recieved an unusual feeling that I was there on the boat with them all those years ago.
  • aliceinpunderland
    January 28, 2012
    aliceinpunderland
    Aww what a nice-ass movie. Nice-arse, excuse me.

    It's all at once, a romantic bildungsroman, a triumphant battle of wills, a comedic slice-of-bro-life, and a love letter to rock and roll, as evidenced by the rip-roaring soundtrack and the stationary instead of scrolling text du... read morering the song credits :~P All the characters are zany, sexy, eccentric, and just so bloody likable!

    There are a few implausibilities though (some pointed out on IMDb) like some anachronistic songs and The Count's miraculous resurfacing from the wreckage. The suction would have dragged him down!
  • ironclad1609
    January 3, 2012
    ironclad1609
    Only the Brits can pull off a film with no real story arc, just carried by a dozen crazy but lovable characters, a wonderfully slimy opponent and a very unique and charming location. There is no real plot to this film about the rise of 1960s rock'n roll thanks to a British pirate... read more radio station on a ship, except that a special person in the government wants to stop them. Kenneth Branagh actually channels Adolf Hitler as wonderfully narrow-minded politician, while the ship crew consists mostly of freaks who win our hearts in an instant. The soundtrack is accordingly excellent, with all the great hits of the time. And so we follow the crew through some naughty, funny, sometimes tragic adventures and have the time of our lives. Everyone involved clearly had fun making this film and it clearly shows and easily transfers to the viewer. It certainly wouldn't have needed the turn to more dramatic events, but the film is too smart to wallow in real drama for too long, even if it sometimes looks like it. In the end it's like watching Steve Zissou on crack: A film like a wild fun boat party. The idea to show some album covers of the best records of the last 50 years is just as awesome.
  • pier007
    May 18, 2011
    pier007
    Too bad. It almost had me for a moment (thanks to the soundtrack), but in the end the coming of age story doesn't grab and is not funny enough. Only Bill Nighy and Kenneth Brannagh play interesting characters, the rest are forgettable, especially the lead.
  • fb733768972
    February 19, 2011
    fb733768972
    It's style does not match the 60's to perfection, but the premise and the substance was brilliant. It is 2 hours of sex and rock & roll music, which is a great combination for a great time. The acting is great, the characters are great, and you actually care about the plot. Pirat... read moree Radio soars in it's genre with a stunning soundtrack and a believable scenario. I love this film, but it does lack the one thing it should have throughout, a good pace to keep you interested. I was interested for about and hour and a half, but for that hour and a half, I had a smile on my face. The ending is phenomenal and could not have played out any better than this. Pirate Radio Rocks!
  • paulsandberg
    December 13, 2010
    paulsandberg
    I believe it was Wavy Gravy who first said "if you remember the 60's you weren't there". This homage to a time and place seemed to be scripted by a bunch of dudes hanging out and smoking weed; and yet, other than getting the munchies, I felt really good watching this film, even ... read morethough it doesn't really go anywhere or have anything significant to say other than "long live Rock and Roll" (but I guess that's enough).

    The story is a real one (although stretched to the absurd) - while Brit Rock and Roll was revolutionizing pop music, the stuffed shirts at the BBC (puppets for the conservative government) played NO rock music on the state radio (which eats up like 99% of the bandwidth). So, in order to get around the regulations, Pirate Radio stations set up in the North Sea,just outside the five mile territorial zone and broadcast the Kinks and Stones for everyone to hear.

    On board the broadcast ship you have 8 deejays (each doing a three hour stint), a news and weather guy, an engineer,a cook and the owner/manager. They all hang out, get high, and dig on life and the music - that's pretty much the film in a nutshell.

    Unfortunately the film glosses over the perfect storm aspect - with so much social unrest and rebellion against authority and the staid status quo, rock music, through its anthems to freedoms of all kinds (oh my god - let's spend the night together: blasphemy!!!) - galvanized what so very many people were feeling worldwide. Sadly, the film turns glib instead of pointed, and the polarization of we vs them (the man) is reduced to a cartoonish portrayal whose soul purpose is to garner laughs.

    Those laughs are abundant however. From the ultra straight laced minestry buffoon, played with great gravitas by Kenneth Brannaugh, to the aristocratic yet free love advocating ship owner, wonderfully portrayed by Bill Nighy, as if he's channeling Peter O'Toole - the film boasts wonderful acting chops. However, since the story sticks to the superflous, it fails to be anything more than a hazy rememberence of a time, seen through rose colored glasses.

    As Phillip Seymore Hoffman (typically wonderful) pronounces "I had a terrible thought that I just can't get out of my head... we are living in the best days of our lives". Indeed - the nostalgia quota is high here. I can remember being sent to bed where I had my transistor radio - spending an hour or so late each night listening to freedom on the radio.
  • itsjustme2004
    December 5, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! This movie was the best I've seen in awhile, and definitely a new fave. It was the perfect combo of hilarity and nostalgia... rock and roll, coming of age, damning the man. I completely fell in love with all the characters, partly because of the ... read morescript and partly because of the talented acting... the way they grow and develop in their relationships with each other makes me want to be best friends with them all. And of course, the soundtrack is rockin. I agree with some other reviews that the deleted scenes are great. It's a shame they weren't included in the actual movie. Definitely watch it. Definitely recommend it to friends. I can't believe it wasn't more well received!
  • Gx7
    September 19, 2010
    Gx7
    Pirates & awesome Rock n Roll. What more can you ask for? Highly enjoyable, totally hillarious & dafty. I could watch it again, and again, and again, and again!
  • danperry17
    August 20, 2010
    danperry17
    Can movie be great solely for its soundtrack? Pirate Radio's as close as it gets. Decent acting, interesting characters, all around solid ensemble work in this coming of age/social revolution story of the pioneers of UK rock radio. Kenneth Branagh is especially good, and yes, the... read more music is great: the director uses all of the Who, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, the Band, the Kinks and more - 52 songs, in all - to their best usage, setting the sonic backdrop for the story. In the end it gets a little cheesy, wallking the line between ironic and over-the-top and momentarily falling over, but on the whole this is good film that I feel I could watch many times over in years to come.
  • 76Majikat
    August 15, 2010
    76Majikat
    Great music, appauling film!

    I couldn't find anything likeable about it, despite liking a lot of the UK filled cast and even with the addition of Philip Seymour Hoffman, I had expected this to at least be a silly funny film, but it really didn't even begin to get the chuckle m... read moreuscles moving

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan F. Richards
November 22, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

Curtis's movie is loosely based on the historical truths of the time, but it isn't meant as a documentary, a rockumentary, or even a docucomedy. It's just a hell of a lot of fun. Full Review

Michael Phillips
November 16, 2009
Michael Phillips, At the Movies

It just sits there in the water. Full Review

A.O. Scott
November 16, 2009
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

Any serious music fan -- that is anyone who sees the radio pirates as kindred spirits -- will be outraged by its sloppy approach to the history of rock and roll. Full Review

Liam Lacey
November 13, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Forty years ago, they couldn't get these songs on the radio; now we can't get them off. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
November 13, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Richard Curtis's comedy is anchored only in exuberance, but that's more than you can say for most movies these days; it keeps you beaming with pleasure. Full Review

Betsy Sharkey
November 13, 2009
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

Pirate Radio, the new rock-saturated comedy that proves life really is better when it's set to a '60s soundtrack, is, to borrow from the Stones, "a gas! gas! gas!" Full Review

Tom Long
November 13, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

Pirate Radio is a bit of a mess. But an amiable mess nonetheless, with the boys' casual chemistry and the music carrying things along, it's not that hard to watch and it's great to listen to. Full Review

J. R. Jones
November 13, 2009
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

A hodgepodge of half-baked characters and story ideas, stoked by a frantic climax and a blue-chip playlist of 1966 rock classics. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
November 13, 2009
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

Boys will be boys and often at top volume in Pirate Radio, Richard Curtis's fanciful fiction about rebel broadcasters. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
November 13, 2009
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

What's not to like? It's Animal House on water, with Branagh playing Dean Wormer. Full Review

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    • Dave: So tell us Mark, now at the very end - what was your secret? How did you get all them girls?
    • Mark: Simple. Don't say anything at all.
    • Carl: Nothing?
    • Mark: Nothing. Then, when the tension becomes too much to bear, you finally, finally, you just say: 'How about it, then?'
    • The Count: I plan on broadcasting from this boat till the day I die... and a few days after that.
    • Quentin: Spectacular mistake.
    • Thick Kevin: I find that alcohol rather sharpens my mind.
    • Thick Kevin: Sometimes... I think I should be called "Clever Kevin."
    • Simon: You look like a unicorn.... in a negligee.
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