Thursday, November 19, 2009
Pirate Radio is the latest release from writer and director Richard Curtis, the current king of mainstream British comedy. He’s given us Love Actually, which he wrote and directed, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, which he wrote, along with countless other Britcom classics.
For fans of movies such as Love Actually and British comedy in general, Curtis’ newest offering fits the bill almost perfectly. It’s lighthearted, clever and as likeable as the music that makes up its soundtrack. The movie tells the story of a pirate radio station anchored in the North Sea in 1966, when rock music was all but banned on government-controlled BBC radio. Curtis peoples this radio station with all kinds of characters. There’s Bill Nighy’s groovy station director, Tom Wisdom and Rhys Ifans as the station’s token sex symbols and, of course, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the station’s American DJ, “The Count,” among a bunch of great comic performances.
The music, of course, also gives the movie a big boost. It’s hard not to get excited when bands such as The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and The Who are blasting in the background against montages of excited teenagers and super-cool DJs.
Pirate Radio is not without its flaws, however, especially in the movie’s last quarter. Events get increasingly ridiculous, and the film’s climax really is pretty unbelievable. But, as much as it might play out like a goofy radio DJ’s fantasy, it’s still a satisfying conclusion to a pretty decent film. Pirate Radio isn’t perfect, but it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Three out of four stars.
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