Pirate Radio play

Richard Curtis’ story of a rock radio station broadcasting from a ship anchored on the coast of England in the 1960s manages to capture an anarchic and anti-authoritarian spirit, without being strident or shallow. By not taking either of the main plots---the rock boat and Kenneth Branagh’s governmental crusade to bring it back into harbour---too seriously, Curtis is able to load up on odd-ball moments, like the one where duelling DJs Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rhys Ifans race each other to the crow’s nest of the ship. Curtis employs an episodic structure that serves these characters better than a cliched three-act. Pirate Radio is a little more playful than most movies out there, a little more literate, a little more witty.