Not Approved

Pirate Radio

"Pirate Radio" is the high-spirited story of how 8 DJs love affair with Rock n Roll changed the world forever. In the 1960s this group of rouge DJs, on a boat in the middle of the Northern Atlantic, played rock records and broke the law all for the love of music. The songs they played united and defined an entire generation and drove the British government crazy. By playing Rock n Roll they were standing up against the British government who did everything in their power to shut them down. The band of rebels is lead by The Count, played by the Academy Award Winning Philip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin the boss of Radio Rock, Gavin the greatest DJ in Britian, Midnight Mark, Doctor Dave and Young Carl who comes of age amidst the chaos of sex, drugs and rock n roll. The film features an unbelievable selection of music including The Beatles, The Stones, Beach Boys, Dusty Springfield, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Smokey Robinson, David Bowie, Otis Redding, Cat Stevens just to name a few. The film is laugh out loud funny and speaks to the rock n roll rebel in all of us.Inspired by the British pirate radio revolution in the '60s, the majority of the film's shoot will take place in a large rusty metal fishing trawler moored off the coast of England in the very waters that kept the rock of the '60s booming into the U.K.

In 1966 -- arguably British pop music's finest era -- the BBC played only two hours of rock and roll every week. But pirate radio blasted rock and pop from the high seas 24 hours a day. And 25 million people -- more than half the population of Britain -- listened to these pirates every single day.

"The Boat That Rocked" is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the '60s and pop music. It's about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz.

Leading the cast are Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Count, a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Bill Nighy as Quentin, the boss of Radio Rock -- a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Rhys Ifans as Gavin, the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Nick Frost as Dave, an ironic, intelligent and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and Kenneth Branagh (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hamlet) as British Minister Dormandy, a fearsome government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation.
19
Negative Rating
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SexLanguageViolenceDrugsNudityOther
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Positive Rating
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FaithIntegrity

Dove Review

This is definitely a film about heathenism. It is pretty much sex, drugs (mainly alcohol and smoking with the mention of other drugs), and rock and roll. From what I understand, much of this music could not even be played on the British radio stations during this historical time frame. But the movie focuses a lot on the music and time period. The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a big DJ who plays the most famous music of the 60s. He is a bit over-the-top but apparently that is how his character is. Quentin (Bill Nighy) is the boss of Radio Rock, which is a pirate radio station in the North Sea (hence, the title of the film).

I realize the film is supposed to be about a chaotic time but the movie itself can be described that way as it has a lot going on during the over two hour time frame. At any rate, the movie is strong in the language and sex departments, with a ton of frank sexual comments and innuendos, and also includes nudity and frequent drinking and smoking as well as a strong “other” category. We therefore cannot close to recommending this movie as a family-friendly film.

Dove Rating Details

0
Faith

None

0
Integrity

A man falls out of bunk bed; two men climb a ship's mast and they both fall into the water and later are seen with bandages on fingers, foot and one man wears a sling on arm; man makes a gun gesture with his hand.

4
Sex

Frank sexual comments along with many sexual innuendos and slang; a woman says she is a lesbian and a male character grabs her rear; implied sex between unmarried couple; a comment about the pope "poking" a young woman.

5
Language

GD-1; G/OMG-7; Ch*ist-2; F-22; S-1; B-1; A-4; D-2; H-2; Bollocks-2; Crap-1; Slang for female genitalia-8; Slang for male genitalia-3; Several slang remarks about having sex; Slang for breasts-1

1
Violence

A man falls out of bunk bed; two men climb a ship's mast and they both fall into the water and later are seen with bandages on fingers, foot and one man wears a sling on arm; man makes a gun gesture with his hand.

3
Drugs

Drinking of beer and wine on a few occasions, the drinking of champagne and a woman holds a bottle of it in one scene; smoking throughout; a man speaks of smoking cigarettes and smoking marijuana; alcohol poisoning is mentioned; talk of too much drinking by a character; a wedding reception with drinking and toasts; wine with a meal.

3
Nudity

Bare chest of man; woman's breasts seen in a painting; man naked in front except for his crotch which he covers; full rear male nudity; women in bikinis.

3
Other

A character belittles another character; characters broadcast illegally; when news hits that a ship is sinking a character orders that no rescue attempts be attempted; the use of a middle finger in a scene.

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