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Pirate Radio

Play trailer Poster for Pirate Radio R Released Nov 13, 2009 2h 9m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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59% Tomatometer 163 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In 1966, BBC radio broadcasts less than an hour of pop music a day, forcing pirate DJs to take up the slack from boats anchored outside British waters. Quentin (Bill Nighy) is the commander of such a pirate station, overseeing a host of seedy, lusty and dope-smoking DJs, including the Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Dave (Nick Frost), who makes it his personal mission to see to it that Quentin's newly arrived godson (Tom Sturridge) loses his virginity.
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Critics Consensus

The good cast and rollicking soundtrack eventually drown when this comic homage to pirate radio loses its quippy steam.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator The Boat That Rocked is pointless, shapeless, historically bogus and so emotionally disengaging you can't even feel the soundtrack. Aug 29, 2018 Full Review Perri Nemiroff CinemaBlend No morals, no shame and good music; who wouldn't want to climb aboard Radio Rock? Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 14, 2010 Full Review Jonathan F. Richards Film.com Curtis's movie is loosely based on the historical truths of the time, but it isn't meant as a documentary, a rockumentary, or even a docucomedy. It's just a hell of a lot of fun. Nov 22, 2009 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Pirate Radio is a film about the beginning of an age, and it captures that energy quite well. The plot may be treated in perhaps too fluffy a manner, but it’s an enjoyable experience, even if it was chopped and abbreviated by the distributor. Rated: 3/4 Aug 30, 2023 Full Review Jonah Koslofsky The Spool The camera in Pirate Radio won't stop wobbling - it's so damn annoying. Mar 19, 2021 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site In Curtis's somewhat primitive view of things, the 1960s prove to have been about sleeping with whomever you liked, vaguely anarchic attitudes, and listening to loud music. Feb 13, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Gareth v Pirate Radio has its moments: it's occasionally funny, visually appealing, and packed with classic tunes, but its suffers from being too loose and lacking any emotional depth. Fun but forgettable. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/06/25 Full Review Mason M I am a really big Richard Curtis fan, so that's probably why I'm giving this a good score. The Boat that Rocked has plenty of flaws, but Curtis's charm and skill at directing makes this an ultimately very enjoyable musical mood piece. I'll admit it's definitely not as good as many of Curtis's other films, which at best can be modern masterpieces. He throws a lot of different gags at the wall here and not all of them stick, but enough do. The script isn't very good or full, but where this film heavily succeeds is in its execution. Curtis's direction is amazing, his shot framing paired with its editing is a beautiful experience to witness, the cast is all charming and does a good comedic job. And though the characters aren't very thoroughly written, by the end of the film I know all of them and the boat itself like the back of my hand. I fully understand why people dislike this film, but I found it very enjoyable, and another very well made film from Curtis. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/21/25 Full Review Lanfranco C When People discovered the rock music! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/14/25 Full Review Walter R Muito bom. A música então é de primeira!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/10/25 Full Review Jamie K Exactly what you would want if you've seen the trailers, a fun, light hearted and hilarious film. The cast and the dynamic between them all is worth watching this film if for nothing else. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/04/25 Full Review s c 5 stars for the music! Movie is worth watching too. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is always worth watching. I believe it is based on actual events. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/29/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Richard Curtis

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

The Count

Bill Nighy

Quentin

Rhys Ifans

Gavin

Nick Frost

Dave

Kenneth Branagh

Dormandy

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Pirate Radio

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1966, BBC radio broadcasts less than an hour of pop music a day, forcing pirate DJs to take up the slack from boats anchored outside British waters. Quentin (Bill Nighy) is the commander of such a pirate station, overseeing a host of seedy, lusty and dope-smoking DJs, including the Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Dave (Nick Frost), who makes it his personal mission to see to it that Quentin's newly arrived godson (Tom Sturridge) loses his virginity.
Director
Richard Curtis
Producer
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Hilary Bevan Jones
Screenwriter
Richard Curtis
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Working Title Films
Rating
R (Language|Brief Nudity|Some Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 13, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.0M
Runtime
2h 9m
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