Pirate Radio

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Pirate Radio

R

Released Nov 13, 2009

2h 9m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Brad S. R

A dull waste of a gifted cast.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

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Richard Curtis

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

The Count

Bill Nighy

Quentin

Rhys Ifans

Gavin

Nick Frost

Dave

Kenneth Branagh

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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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