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Carl (British heartthrob Tom Sturridge) dillydallies with a dollie (Talulah Riley) in Richard Curtis’ music-stuffed “Pirate Radio.” |
If you go to see Richard Curtis’ comedy “Pirate Radio” expecting to see something as heartfelt, profound and witty as his phenomenal directorial debut “Love, Actually,” you will likely be disappointed.
“Pirate Radio” (not much of an improvement over its original title “The Boat That Rocked”) wears out its welcome at a gasping 134 minutes.
The characters tend to be more cartoony and homogeneous than the ones in “Love, Actually,” and the plot is mostly built around a series of vignettes threaded together by a British censor’s campaign to save the Queen’s country from the dreaded, immoral influence of pop rock music.
“Pirate Radio” is based on a piece of rock history in Britain during the Soaring ’60s when the stuffy BBC practically ignored that newfangled music popular with kids.
So, boats harboring floating radio stations appeared just off shore in Great Britain and blasted rock ‘n’ roll programs over the airwaves 24/7 to a grateful audience of about 25 million people.
We witness the workings of one pirate radio station, aboard a rusty trawler, Radio Rock, where a group of hedonistic, alcohol-swilling, drug-abusing, fun-loving DJs and their staff parties like it’s 1966. (Read more…)