PIRATE RADIO (Alliance, 2009) D: Richard Curtis, w/ Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Sturridge. Rating: NNNN DVD package: NNNN Rating: NNNN
Pirate Radio surfs on a steady stream of 60s pop and deadpan throwaway gags delivered by a standout cast. It’s cheery froth with no agenda except to celebrate the illegal offshore radio stations that brought rock ‘n’ roll to the British public in the 1960s when the BBC wouldn’t play it.
[rssbreak]
The nominal plot has Young Carl (Tom Sturridge) visiting his godfather, manager of Radio Rock, while a cabinet minister (a splendidly tight-arsed Kenneth Branagh) works ashore to destroy the pirates.
A lively, episodic structure gives the cast, headed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost and Chris O’Dowd, plenty of opportunities to work disc jockey shtick and riff off each other with a casual energy that never falters.
The deleted scenes offer much more of the same. The midnight raid on rival Sunshine Radio and the gag with four eggs are particularly funny.
EXTRAS Commentary, deleted scenes. Widescreen. English, French, Spanish audio and subtitles.
