"Pirate Radio" Rocks to an Uneven Beat

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2012)

"Pirate Radio" (aka "The Boat That Rocked") tells a story of musical rebellion in a way that's clever but occasionally uneven. In the 1960s, Britain attempted to ban pop music and only play classical instead. One station, known as Radio Rock chose to go against the government and play pop 24 hours a day. Though with the officials trying to shut them down and a young new inhabitant named Carl (Tom Sturridge) nothing is ever quite the same on the boat. "Pirate Radio" has one major problem: it goes off in a number of different direction. Aside from being a period piece as well as an homage to pop music in all its forms, the film also tries to be a coming-of-age story centered around Carl. While the story is coherent and generally enjoyable, it tends to come off as rather safe in contrast to a story about breaking the rules and taking a stand. "Pirate Radio" will certainly not be taking home any awards, but for a two-hour movie with great music and humor it's good enough.