Pirate Radio (R, 2009)

It's 1966, and rock 'n' roll is banned in England -- but it's still legal to broadcast from offshore. Young Carl (Tom Sturridge) arrives on board the Radio Rock, an old fishing boat that's been converted to a floating radio station. There he witnesses a series of vignettes about an ensemble of misfit characters, including his godfather/the boat's captain, Quentin (Bill Nighy), and a ragtag crew of DJs that includes the boisterous Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), tubby Dave (Nick Frost), and seductive Gavin (Rhys Ifans). The Count and Gavin strike up a rivalry, romances come and go, and there's lots of general bickering and ribbing. Meanwhile, on dry land, menacing government minister Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) will stop at nothing to shut them down.

Written and directed by Richard Curtis (Love Actually), Pirate Radio was trimmed by 20 minutes after its release in England, where critics complained of excessive length (and where the film was titled The Boat That Rocked); now the movie feels jaunty and lightweight -- though perhaps a bit too weightless. Too many characters with too little screen time add up to not much depth for anyone; the character arcs are fairly simple and predictable overall, with little emotional weight (centerpiece character Carl is the weakest of all). It sometimes feels more like an extended BBC comedy sketch than a film.

But the film's good-natured rebellion and genuine enthusiasm for the power of rock 'n' roll can be infectious and enjoyable. Moreover, talented actors and comedians like Hoffman, Nighy, Frost, and Branagh manage to find brilliantly humorous moments within their dialogue, generating plenty of laughs.