Parents' Guide to

Pirate Radio

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Good-natured rock 'n' roll comedy with some iffy behavior.

Movie R 2009 115 minutes
Pirate Radio Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Responsable
Responsable Adult
February 4, 2015
age 7+

Let's Rock

Great music but there's sex and language. Inappropriate for kids under 8

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
commonsensor
commonsensor Adult
July 12, 2011
age 13+

Calling all Rock'n'Roll lovers!

Even though this movie is R-rated, it is probably appropriate for 13 years old+. If you love rock'n'roll, you will completely adore this movie, as I do. There is some sexual innuendo present and part-naked bodies (genitalia never shown). After effects of drugs and alcohol are present and for most of the movie, the characters are smoking cigarettes (most people smoked cigarettes then though). The language was also not very good, but again, it is appropriate enough if the teens/adults are mature. GREAT MOVIE and pretty funny at some parts!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

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.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (5):

Pirate Radio sometimes feels more like an extended BBC comedy sketch than a film. Written and directed by Richard Curtis (Love Actually), the movie 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).

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why the English government wanted to ban rock 'n' roll in the 1960s. Were they acting in the public good by doing this?

  • The DJs are combating authority, but what justifies their iffy behavior in doing so? (This story is a story told with hindsight, so it's easy to see who was right and who was wrong in the end, but it may be tricky to apply this lesson to other scenarios.)

  • Could the female characters in the film have been stronger?

Movie Details

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