PIRATE RADIO

Drama
aka The Boat That Rocked

F.Y.I.
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. Fitting the most common perception of a pirate, often these radio stations are set up on sea vessels anchored in international waters. In some cases the stations are deemed legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially when the signals cross a national boundary.

In other cases, a broadcast may be considered "pirate" due to the nature of its content, or failing to transmit the station identification according to regulations, or the transmit power exceeds standards set down by some regulatory body.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Tom Sturridge: “Young” Carl
Bill Nighy: his godfather Captain Quentin, the station manager
Philip Seymour Hoffman: the station’s lead DJ, an American known as “The Count”
Rhys Ifans: star DJ, bad-boy Gavin
Nick Frost: another on-air personality "Doctor Dave"
Chris O'Dowd: Simon, the moring guy
Rhys Darby: scruffy recluse Angus
Tom Wisdom: DJ "Midnight" Mark
Ralph Brown: Bob "the Dawn Treader"
Tom Brooke: Carl’s roommate "Thick" Kevin
Katherine Parkinson: the ship’s cook Felicity
Talulah Riley: Quentin’s daughter Marianne
Kenneth Branagh: British Government Minister Sir Alistair Dormandy
Jack Davenport: his assistant Twatt
Emma Thompson: Carl's mom Charlotte

REVIEW
It’s not hard to imagine life aboard ship would be very much as depicted: sex, drugs and rock-and-roll. Lots of rock-and-roll. In just about every scene a classic rock song is played or at least a snippet of one.

The comedy for the most part does not “cross the line” although it comes mighty close a couple of times. Certainly a nice diversion although a tad too long at 2 hours.

CLASSIFICATION
for language and some sexual content, including brief nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• When The Count threatens to say the f-word live on air despite Quentin’s objection, in some shots his left hand is holding the microphone while in others his hand is by his side.
• These events take place in 1966 but when Angus is first introduced he is wearing modern over-the-ear headphones that had not yet been invented.
• A call for help goes out giving the position in the North Sea as 53 degrees 17 minutes North, 2 degrees 15 minutes East. This is about 70 km from the nearest landfall, the seaside town of Cromer on the Lincolnshire coast. Gavin then pleads for anyone with a boat in Suffolk to come out to rescue them. Suffolk is twice as far away as Cromer.

P.S.
For reasons I can’t figure out there are no Beatles songs despite the fact Beatlemania was at its peak at the time.