Pirate Radio
Director: Richard Curtis
Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy
Classification: STC
Rating: ** 1/2

When The Boat That Rocked originally hit British theatres last spring, both reviews and reception were about as cool as the North Sea. So director Richard Curtis cut 20 minutes from the flick, re-named it Pirate Radio and is now hoping North American audiences take the bait like hungry sharks.

Known best for penning such romantic comedies as Notting Hill and Love Actually (which he also directed), Curtis here turns to the very loosely-based true story about a ship stocked with DJs who spin outlawed rock ’n’ roll all day and all of the night in the mid-60s.

Led by a boisterous American expatriate (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the ragtag group decides to play on even after the British government calls a moratorium on the unregulated transmissions.

However, as fascinating as that true tidbit of recent English history may be, Curtis instead delivers an homage to the 1960s mainly focusing on the music and frivolity of the era — tossing in an over-the-top stuffed-suit (Kenneth Branagh) and lots of free-love antics that will tonally make you seasick.

In that sense, Pirate Radio doesn’t broadcast much in the way of a cohesive story but instead delivers a series of random subplots, buddy moments and groovy retro tracks by the likes of The Turtles and The Kinks.

However, with its re-edited cut and an undeniably talented cast that is clearly having fun themselves, Pirate Radio stays afloat just long enough to keep from sinking altogether.