2009 comedyRating: 15/20
Plot: Somewhere off the English coast, some hell raisers broadcast bloody rock 'n' roll for the masses. A handful of politicians want to put a stop to it.
I thought this looked decent when it came out, heard that it wasn't decent at all, and was pleasantly surprised. Pirate Radio has lots to love. There's a great ensemble cast which includes the versatile Philip Seymour Hoffman, that one guy, that other guy, the always-hilarious Rhys Darby (Yes Man and The Flight of the Concords), that one guy who did the funny bit in that one movie, and Rhys Ifans (another Rhys; that might break my record for most actors named Rhys in one movie). Seriously, I kept seeing actors I nearly recognized in this movie, people I knew had been funny in other things. This was almost like a more raucous Wes Anderson movie. It's narratively uneven, perhaps a little too episodic. The scenes often seem like a collection of jokes, and not all the punchlines are that funny. But for the most part, this cheeky little movie sails along quickly enough and entertains with its caricatures, its irrelevancy, and its loose-goosey, playful structure. And that soundtrack? It's packed to the gills with the rawk! I might be a bit of a sucker for movies with lots of characters who don't do much of anything except talk over each other (see: lots of Robert Altman movies), and Pirate Radio is about the most entertaining a movie about characters being bored out of their minds can be.
Portland Radio Authority used to be pirate til the Oregonian did an interview with the creator and fucked up and gave away valuable info and the FCC closed that down, hence the internet radio.
ReplyDeleteI read about the british pirate radio of the '60's in a book on The Who Sell Out album.
That said I was totally interested in this movie.
That said I'd heard horrible things about it. The DJ who follows me told me to avoid it at all costs.
I still want to see it though. I imagine it'll be quaint, and I heard that a few of the songs featured came out later than the movie takes place which shows you the audience they were aiming for aren't quite the aficionados of the rock.
That said I think I'll check it out from the 'brary.
Somebody told me to avoid it, too. I took it as a challenge! Anyway, apologies in advance when you don't like it. My 15 could be one of those expected-it-to-be-worse things.
ReplyDeleteI watched this today without having really paid attention to your review (that happens often). It sounded like a great concept for a film and your review was on the mark, especially comparing it to a collection of jokes. The ending is nothing short of ludicrous, but there is a lot of funny material before that, and the whole thing has a fun, upbeat feel. The soundtrack is great, though the producers obviously were not able to get or afford the rights to Beatles songs, which is a real loss. A 15, as well.
ReplyDeleteI should have added "because I wanted to avoid spoilers" at the end of the first sentence. Otherwise it just sounds mean.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely liked it more than I thought I would...I'm curious to see what Larstonovich thinks since he's an insider and all...and he's a big fan of the rawk.
ReplyDeleteAnd yep, the Beatles were conspicuously absent.