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Pirate Radio

Play trailer Poster for Pirate Radio R 2009 2h 9m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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59% Tomatometer 163 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In 1966, BBC radio broadcasts less than an hour of pop music a day, forcing pirate DJs to take up the slack from boats anchored outside British waters. Quentin (Bill Nighy) is the commander of such a pirate station, overseeing a host of seedy, lusty and dope-smoking DJs, including the Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Dave (Nick Frost), who makes it his personal mission to see to it that Quentin's newly arrived godson (Tom Sturridge) loses his virginity.
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Pirate Radio

Pirate Radio

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Critics Consensus

The good cast and rollicking soundtrack eventually drown when this comic homage to pirate radio loses its quippy steam.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 08/29/2018
The Boat That Rocked is pointless, shapeless, historically bogus and so emotionally disengaging you can't even feel the soundtrack. Go to Full Review Perri Nemiroff CinemaBlend 08/14/2010
3.5/5
No morals, no shame and good music; who wouldn't want to climb aboard Radio Rock? Go to Full Review Jonathan F. Richards Film.com 11/22/2009
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. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 08/30/2023
3/4
Pirate Radio is a film about the beginning of an age, and it captures that energy quite well. The plot may be treated in perhaps too fluffy a manner, but it’s an enjoyable experience, even if it was chopped and abbreviated by the distributor. Go to Full Review Jonah Koslofsky The Spool 03/19/2021
The camera in Pirate Radio won't stop wobbling - it's so damn annoying. Go to Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site 02/13/2021
In Curtis's somewhat primitive view of things, the 1960s prove to have been about sleeping with whomever you liked, vaguely anarchic attitudes, and listening to loud music. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kyle M @RT77296778 Dec 17 Sailed onto couple rocky currents, most of the voyage really capture the entertaining purity, in a way, regarding radio broadcasts in a hilarious, rebellious direction that’s pleasantly enjoyable thanks to the fine cast having as much fun as the viewer. (B+) See more thiago s @Thiagostone Nov 20 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Gareth v @geewah Aug 6 Pirate Radio has its moments: it's occasionally funny, visually appealing, and packed with classic tunes, but its suffers from being too loose and lacking any emotional depth. Fun but forgettable. See more Mason M @RT73597940 Jul 21 I am a really big Richard Curtis fan, so that's probably why I'm giving this a good score. The Boat that Rocked has plenty of flaws, but Curtis's charm and skill at directing makes this an ultimately very enjoyable musical mood piece. I'll admit it's definitely not as good as many of Curtis's other films, which at best can be modern masterpieces. He throws a lot of different gags at the wall here and not all of them stick, but enough do. The script isn't very good or full, but where this film heavily succeeds is in its execution. Curtis's direction is amazing, his shot framing paired with its editing is a beautiful experience to witness, the cast is all charming and does a good comedic job. And though the characters aren't very thoroughly written, by the end of the film I know all of them and the boat itself like the back of my hand. I fully understand why people dislike this film, but I found it very enjoyable, and another very well made film from Curtis. See more Lanfranco C @Lanfrancobz May 14 When People discovered the rock music! See more Walter R @RT52138027 May 10 Muito bom. A música então é de primeira!!! See more Read all reviews
Pirate Radio

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Cast & Crew

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Richard Curtis

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

The Count

Bill Nighy

Quentin

Rhys Ifans

Gavin

Nick Frost

Dave

Kenneth Branagh

Dormandy

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Pirate Radio

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1966, BBC radio broadcasts less than an hour of pop music a day, forcing pirate DJs to take up the slack from boats anchored outside British waters. Quentin (Bill Nighy) is the commander of such a pirate station, overseeing a host of seedy, lusty and dope-smoking DJs, including the Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Dave (Nick Frost), who makes it his personal mission to see to it that Quentin's newly arrived godson (Tom Sturridge) loses his virginity.
Director
Richard Curtis
Producer
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Hilary Bevan Jones
Screenwriter
Richard Curtis
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Working Title Films
Rating
R (Language|Brief Nudity|Some Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 13, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.0M
Runtime
2h 9m
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