At the Movies with Fatwayne

Originally titled The Boat That Rocked, this film was reedited and retitled prior to its release in the U.S. It was cut back from a three hour running time to just over two -thank goodness! I say this not because it is a poor movie, quite the contrary, but three hours is simply too long.

The movie features an ensemble cast headed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson and many more talented actors. They tell the story of how the only way to get rock music to the people of Britain was through the efforts of several wacky record spinners broadcasting from a ship (Radio Rock) out at sea. There were no rock radio stations at that time and the masses were starved to hear the music and the rantings of the radio personalities. Unfortunately for our rock and rollers, the British government decides to shut them down as a result of their on-air antics and what was considered unsuitable music.

The charm of this film comes from the wonderful music we hear as our disc jockeys spin the records. It also benefits from the totally different personalities of these same DJs who share not only a love for the pop music but also a love for drugs and sex ! The way they carry on with each other and how they present themselves on air is hilarious.

The tension (what little there is) comes from Minister Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) and his stooge, Twatt (Jack Davenport) who are determined to shut down this pirate broadcasting of what they consider insipid and disgusting music and patter. They are pitted against the radio station boss, Quentin (Bill Nighy) and his motley band of jabber jawed on-air personalities and just about the entire population of Britain.

We have humor, houmourous outfits from the 60′s, sex and the before mentioned music. If you missed the 60′s because of your age or “other reasons” you might want to give this flick a shot. I liked it!

Quotes can be found at http://www.tvmoviequotes.com/pirateradio.htm

Rated  -R-

Fatwayne’s Rating  -    -