Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked)

Great music, good friends, plenty of recreational activities, Pirate Rock was the ultimate party cruise and I didn’t want it to end. Written about a time when Rock and Roll was new and considered vulgar, immoral and a scourge on society, it was not played on sanctioned British radio, so unlicensed radio broadcasts occurred and many of these stations took to the high seas to avoid governmental regulations. Radio Rock was such a station helmed by Quentin (Bill Nighy). He felt it was more criminal to ignore the riches of Rock and Roll music coming out of 60’s Britain, so he assembled a group of eccentric DJs who loved the music enough to live on a boat without women for long stretches of time and concentrate all their energies on sharing their beloved music with a repressed and starving nation.

On shore, Radio Rock had an enemy in government bureaucrat Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh). He was determined to find a way to shut down these offensive broadcasts so he enlists the help of an ambitious young Twatt (Jack Davenport) who is willing to do his dirty work for him. He then boasts to his colleagues that pirate radio will be shut down by New Years.

On the high seas Quentin is trying to manage his wayward DJs while trying not to make things worse with the government. But his attempts to keep them reigned in reminded me of the ineffectual leadership of Henry Blake in M*A*S*H, and like that show, the inmates have taken over the asylum. When Quentin’s young Godson Carl (Tom Sturridge) is sent to join them on the boat after getting kicked out of school, he quickly becomes one of the gang and shares in their juvenile antics.

I loved these guys. They were so much fun to hang out with. We have The Count, the American DJ, played by Philip Semour Hoffman. He was the number one DJ until Britain's greatest is recruited in the guise of the hysterically cool, Rhys Ifans. They develop a rivalry that becomes intense when Gavin betrays another DJ. On the boat we also have Bawdy Dave (Nick Frost), Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke), Angus (Rhys Darby), Midnight Mark (Tom Wisdom), Smooth Bob (Ralph Brown), Simple Simon (Chris O’Dowd) and the token lesbian cook, the only female on board, Felicity (Katherine Parkinson).

The joy of this movie is sharing in their camaraderie while listening to a fantastic score full of Britain’s greatest rock music supplied by the Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones and various other artists. These men eat, live and breath Rock and Roll and they are willing to go to jail, or die, for their music. This movie is a love story between them, the music, and their fans listening covertly on the main land. This movie is a delight. It’s a little naughty, a lot of fun, and gives you the feeling of sneaking a sugary snack when you should be on a diet. It may not be good for you, but it is so delicious, it’s worth it.

Rating: Must See Book me for their next cruise, I want to ride again