Pirate Radio

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Pirate Radio

R

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

08/29/2018

The Boat That Rocked is pointless, shapeless, historically bogus and so emotionally disengaging you can't even feel the soundtrack.

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Perri Nemiroff

CinemaBlend

08/14/2010

3.5/5

No morals, no shame and good music; who wouldn't want to climb aboard Radio Rock?

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Jonathan F. Richards

Film.com

11/22/2009

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.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/30/2023

3/4

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.

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Jonah Koslofsky

The Spool

03/19/2021

The camera in Pirate Radio won't stop wobbling - it's so damn annoying.

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

02/13/2021

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.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Dec 17

Sailed onto couple rocky currents, most of the voyage really capture the entertaining purity, in a way, regarding radio broadcasts in a hilarious, rebellious direction that’s pleasantly enjoyable thanks to the fine cast having as much fun as the viewer. (B+)

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Nov 20

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Gareth v

@geewah Aug 6

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.

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Mason M

@RT73597940 Jul 21

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.

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Lanfranco C

@Lanfrancobz 05/14/2025

When People discovered the rock music!

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Walter R

@RT52138027 05/10/2025

Muito bom. A música então é de primeira!!!

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Richard Curtis

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The Count

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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