Richard Curtis
I Love Radio Rock

Long live Rock’n’Roll 1966.

In an England at the height of that musical period that would soon make it a key player on the world stage, all national radios still broadcast the predictable and now ancient commercial hits, without giving space to British rock and overseas blues. All except one: Radio Rock, a pirate station located on a ship anchored outside national borders that broadcasts pure rock’n’roll 24 hours a day.

The protagonist of the film, a young boy expelled from school for disciplinary problems, is sent by his mother on board in the hope that the sea air will help him find the right path. Not an easy road to travel, especially if you have alcohol, fun, beautiful women, and great music as travel companions. When making films based on the importance and beauty of music, one cannot help but describe the humorous and sarcastic aspect of that world, a world dreamed of by young people of all generations. Women and a good life have always been synonymous with fun, just as drugs and music are synonymous with rock musicians (or at least it is thought so)...

But if one of these elements were to be missing, what would happen to our idol, how would our hero feel? If musicians were to stop taking drugs and drinking, what would happen to our favorites? Absolutely nothing, they would simply last a bit longer. They would have almost the same creative and deductive capacity. This thanks to music, an auditory spectacle that allows you to “grit your teeth in tough times and hold the woman in sweet times”. This is the meaning of the film by the English author, how important music is for new generations thirsty for novelty and independence. The director describes years of great changes, not only musical, but also political and social, brought forward by young people. Musicians and feminists, guitars and miniskirts, colors and laughter, pacifist battles and new ideas for the future.

Curtis's work is an engaging and exciting comedy obviously characterized by one of the most beautiful soundtracks of the year. Characters like The Count (Philip Hoffman), Dave (Nick Frost), and young Carl keep the hopes of the entire nation alive against the government's idea of closing pirate stations. A movie that's funny and “English”. It's typical of the director to highlight how friendship and good music are more important than a broken heart. Altman had thought of it before, with Radio America, captivating lovers of cinema and folk music. A film recommended. After all, “The show must go on”.