Pirate Radio

Play trailer

Pirate Radio

R

Released Nov 13, 2009

2h 9m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

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

Brad S. R

A dull waste of a gifted cast.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

Claudine C

Music is the essence of life and so are radios, underground ones specially inviting people to connect beyond boundaries. This film is about hope against all odds!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Richard Curtis

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

The Count

Bill Nighy

Quentin

Rhys Ifans

Gavin

Nick Frost

Dave

Kenneth Branagh

Dormandy

A Serious Man

89%

68%

A Serious Man

Watchlist

Burn After Reading

78%

65%

Burn After Reading

Watchlist

Moonlight and Valentino

14%

53%

Moonlight and Valentino

Watchlist

Solitary Man

78%

50%

Solitary Man

Watchlist

Up in the Air

90%

79%

Up in the Air

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Up in the Air

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: 2012 Isn’t Quite Earth-Shaking

Our Favorite Rock ‘n’ Roll Movies

Richard Curtis’ Five Favourite Films

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now