You can imagine why this got greenlit – it must have sounded great at the pitch, and in treatment stage: Richard Curtis, a fresh topic (pirate radio in the 60s), an exciting ensemble cast, a rich array of characters, groovy soundtrack and period detail. But it’s a bit of a mess. It’s like Curtis spent all his time talking to his DOP (he moves the camera around a fair bit), set designer and costumer, and picking his cast and soundtrack – then wrote the script in a week.
There are lots of bright spots – the cast is strong, Curtis shows he hasn’t lost any knack showcasing new talent (this gives birth to two new stars – Sammy and Thick Kevin; the male juvenile is a bit wet); the costumes are fun and the songs are great; the setting is wonderful and touches on some important issues; there are some rousing moments.
But it constantly fails to exploit its potential: female characters are given short shrift; the black character is a nothing; Nick Frost pinches a guys girl and nothing really is made of it (then she comes back at the end – are we meant to feel good about this); the humour is often unrealistic (the room of naked women, the Jennifer Jones scene); the conflict between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rhys Ifans is under-developed; the male juvenile has nothing to do on the boat (why not make him cook or do the books or clean or something); there are several climaxes, which is fine for sex but gets wearying after time.
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