Pirate Radio
Rating = B-
I guess the main theme of this film is
accurate — that the BBC didn't play much rock and roll and sea based
unlicensed radio stations broadcast the music to a British public who wanted to
hear it. It is not a great movie — lots of sophomoric high jinx by uncouth
male DJs in 1960s hippie dress smoking lots of pot. But it made me laugh
frequently. Kenneth Branagh is almost Monte-Python-esque in his parody of the
uptight government official determined to stamp out pirate radio. There are
lots of other caricatures of rock-and-roll DJ and English behavioral
stereotypes. And there are plenty of bits of familiar music for those of us old
enough to remember it.
[2009-11-10, Lloyd Center, Portland, OR]