Pirate Radio

By A. Chow

UK director and writer Richard Curtis has made a career out of perfecting the “Rom-Com” classic. Like a perfect soufflé, it’s warm and soft on the inside and comforting and inviting on the out. His “chick flicks” rate on almost every and any Top 10 Romantic Comedy list with Bridget Jones’ Diary, Love Actually, Notting Hill and the classic Four Weddings and a Funeral under his belt. But his latest flick Pirate Radio or aptly known as The Boat That Rocked overseas, Curtis moves away from his roots – well, sort of. As I Love You Man solidified the “Bromance,” Curtis created a boys club that is less obvious and more endearing.

Set in the middle of the North Sea, Radio Rock is a morally reprehensible station that British officials, a bunch of twats really, set out to destroy. Headed by a devious Kenneth Branagh as Sir Alistair Dormandy – who, by the way, can put off a steely gaze that could contend with Tarantino’s Basterds – and sidekicked by Twatt. Yes, the twat is actually named Twatt, played by the dynamo Jack Davenport of Pirates of the Caribbean fame.

The boat itself, spearheaded by Curtis’ trusty friend Bill Nighy as Quentin, the patriarch of the station, as usual puts on a charming...yet endearingly slimy performance. Filled with familiar faces but no marquee names other than Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Pirate Radio is a fun flick about male camaraderie, the usual "sex, drugs and rock n' roll" debacle, and sticking it to the man.

Though suffering from a rather lackluster first act, it does manage to entertain and provide numerous giggles. Not chuckles, but those laughs where a gruff noise escapes your mouth and your lips curve ever so slightly upwards. Overall it's fairly episodic and anecdotal, but films with ensemble casts often get hit in just this way. Storylines and names get slightly muddled and subplots, in many ways become more intriguing than the plot itself, such as Carl's coming of age melodrama. He does, in fact, become the most interesting of the bunch with a full story arc. He arrives on the boat a virgin, and as boys will be boys, the rest of the dysfunctional crew make it their mission to devirginize the poor boy. Throw in a dash of “who’s my father?” and a pinch of heartbreak and we’ve got ourselves a hearty stew.

While it doesn’t have the same flair as Four Weddings and a Funeral, or the hardcore romance of Notting Hill, Pirate Radio does serve warmly. It may take a while to get to where it needs to be, but ultimately once it does, you get quite drawn in by its imminent ending.

And it may not rank on the Top 10 lists, but its one of those flicks that just has a certain ease about it. Overall fulfilling, it makes you break out into a smile and even has you leaning forward in anticipation. With a killer soundtrack, it leaves you in high spirits and with a newfound love for good old rock n’ roll.

Release Date: November 13, 2009