“Pirate Radio” keeps the boat rocking

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:13:00 +0000

There are moments in Richard Curtis' rambling ensemble comedy "Pirate Radio" that are so exuberant they're almost enough to carry you past the movie's considerable rough spots. The picture -- whose setup, at least, is based on fact -- takes place in 1966, on a refurbished tanker anchored in the North Sea, off the coast of England, that serves as a floating radio station. At the time -- smack in the middle of the glory days of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks -- the BBC was broadcasting barely two hours of rock 'n' roll each week. Enterprising DJs responded by setting up shop on vessels stationed just outside of U.K. territorial waters, broadcasting whatever music they fancied around the clock, to the delight of English kids and to the government's dismay.

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“Pirate Radio” keeps the boat rocking