- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
-
2 out of 5
Writer/director Richard Curtis finds himself all at sea with this tribute to the offshore 1960s pirate radio stations that changed the way Britain listened to music. The golden-oldie hits come thick and fast, much like the loose vignettes passed off as plot in this tale of the good ship Radio Rock. The main thrust follows a wayward teenager (Tom Sturridge) who is sent aboard to find direction in his life, and along the way loses his virginity and learns which of the resident superstar DJs is his father. Other narrative threads add little to the excessive running time, with the dolly-bird craziness seeming daft even by Swinging Sixties standards. There's a decent cast though, including an amiably louche Bill Nighy as the station boss and Kenneth Branagh as the uptight MP trying to ban the broadcasts. It's just a shame that nominal star Philip Seymour Hoffman has so little to do as "god of the airwaves" The Count. Those who secretly tuned in their transistors back in the day will view Curtis's unfocused film as a missed opportunity. Everyone else will wonder what all the fuss was about.
Plot Summary
Period comedy written and directed by Richard Curtis, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Rhys Ifans. At the height of the Swinging Sixties, the pirate DJs of Radio Rock take to the high seas to play rock and pop music in defiance of the British government. For wayward teenager Carl, who is thrust into this hedonistic world when he is sent to live with his godfather, it will be a time of surprises and sexual awakening.
Cast and crew
Cast
- The Count
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Quentin
- Bill Nighy
- Gavin Kavanagh
- Rhys Ifans
- Dave
- Nick Frost
- Sir Alistair Dormandy
- Kenneth Branagh
- Carl
- Tom Sturridge
- Simon
- Chris O'Dowd
- Angus
- Rhys Darby
- Felicity
- Katherine Parkinson
- Marianne
- Talulah Riley
- Elenore
- January Jones
- Mark
- Tom Wisdom
- Desiree
- Gemma Arterton
- Bob
- Ralph Brown (2)
- Twatt
- Jack Davenport
- Mr Roberts
- Michael Hadley (2)
- Charlotte, Carl's mum
- Emma Thompson
- "News" John Mayford
- Will Adamsdale
- Thick Kevin
- Tom Brooke
Crew
- Director
- Richard Curtis
- Share this episode
-