Big Picture Big Sound

The River Mild

"Governments loathe people being free," says the ship's captain in "Pirate Radio," a British rock comedy set in 1966. So goes the film's wild goose chase as Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) looks to track down the DJ-filled boat, which is broadcasting illegal radio somewhere off the coast of Britain. Joke's on the government as over 2 million listeners continue to boogie to the catchy beats and chuckle at the raunchy commentary. Everyone seems to be having the time of their lives -- except, perhaps, for those of us watching the movie.

"Pirate Radio," the newest offering from writer/director Richard Curtis (helmer of the Brit hits "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Love Actually"), feels too pseudo-hip and calculated for its own good. It seems like a cheap sea-bound knockoff of "Almost Famous," one of my all-time favorites, featuring another helping of Philip Seymour Hoffman as a music fanatic and a floppy-haired boy (Tom Sturridge) eager to lose his virginity. It's entirely stale and doesn't seem to know it, like a guy at a modern party busting into the Macarena on the dance floor.

There's a colorful cast here who are squandered in undeveloped roles: Bill Nighy, as the sharp boat leader and the virginal teen's godfather; Hoffman as The Count, the music-loving king of the DJs who knows these are the best years of his life; Nick Frost as the sly, doughy ladies' man; Rhys Ifans as Gavin, the returning crowd favorite who says things like "Open your knees and feel the breeze because [I'm] back for good"; and Katherine Parkinson as a shy lesbian cook, to name a few. There are so many people packed on this boat that it's a miracle it ever got out of the harbor.

Since there isn't a plot to speak of -- government wants to stifle their creativity, yada yada -- what we're left with is an oversized pack of characters to observe and follow. Sure, it's easy to pity Simon (Chris O'Dowd) when he gets suckered into a marriage of lies, and it's no strain to laugh at Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke) when he waxes moronic, but there's an ongoing emotional void. Not helping matters is that the film detours from all the shallow escapades and morphs into "Titanic" out of nowhere. Huh?

The best thing about "Pirate Radio" is, you guessed it, the soundtrack, which contains tunes from the Kinks, the Beach Boys, Cream, the Who, the Supremes, Cat Stevens and a slew of other golden oldies. Musically, it's a pop rock lover's dream. Too bad that cinematically it's shipwrecked.