Prolific screenwriter and director Richard Curtis, known for such successful films as "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill", has written and directed his latest comedy about a group of rogue deejays who broadcast from an old tanker anchored off the coast of Britain in the early 60s. The ship's captain and station owner, Quentin (Bill Nighy), is an upper-class Brit and devotee of rock and roll who possesses a sharp sense of humor.

In 1966, his godson, a teenager named Carl (Tom Sturridge), boards the ship after being kicked out of boarding school. His mother (Emma Thompson, in a cameo) feels it's time he grew up and this is the perfect place, complete with drinking, drugs and sex. The deejays are a motley crew and they accept Carl almost immediately. They're all British except for The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the only American on board. He's the top dog until Gavin (Rhys Ifans) reappears, a sexy, soft talker known all over the UK. The two of them duke it out over a hilarious game of chicken, ending with dramatic plunges into the North Sea.

Curtis has assembled quite a diverse group and one that is never comically challenged. A great deal of the script was acted with improvisation, so we know all of these guys are extremely talented comedians. One of my favorites, Simon (Chris O'Dowd), is unlucky in love until he meets and quickly marries Elenore (January Jones). However, on their wedding night after a hasty ceremony on board presided over by Quentin, Elenore informs Simon she only married him to be close to Gavin. It's a sad but devastatingly amusing scene as Simon tries desperately to grasp what she's telling him. A better choice could not have been made to play Elenore --- Jones is so beautiful and so funny in her earnestness.

While all of this is happening on the ship, on land the British government, led by Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) and his sidekick Twatt (Jack Davenport), is trying in vain to get the pirate radio shut down. They almost succeed, but nothing, including a near-fatal shipwreck, will keep these deejays silent.

Based on true facts from that time period (apparently there were many ships doing this), "Pirate Radio" is a rip-roaring good time. The music is fabulous --- ALL of the great hits from the early 60s rock and roll. I cannot recommend it enough --- it's vastly entertaining and a fascinating part of music history.

Opinion: Strong See It Now!

New Zealand-born writer/director Richard Curtis deserves a boatload of credit (no pun intended) for melding the terrific ensemble cast with some dazzling special effects. I counted no less than 85 names on the list of people contributing to the visual effects, which includes, among other things, the sinking of the ship, in the mode of "Titanic". Lest you fear that is a "spoiler"--- not to worry --- there is so much more to this tale of rogue disc jockeys on the North Sea than a mere boating accident.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is The Count, the only American aboard the old oil rigger which is equipped with microphones, turntables and all the paraphernalia required to play music, in this case, back to England to about 23 million faithful listeners in the mid-60's. Bill Nighy is Quentin, the leader of this cantankerous group, and his performance is one of those memorable portrayals that glows with Oscar gold.

The rest of the cast is primarily Brits and New Zealanders, and although you know you've seen them before, except for January Jones (Betty Draper on TV's "Mad Men") and a surprise cameo I won't reveal, you're not likely to know them by name. But I bet by the time this film runs through the theater circuits, actors like Nick Frost (Dave), Rhys Darby (Angus), Rhys Ifans (Gavin) and a young heartthrob named Tom Sturridge (Carl) will practically become household names.

Why are these men (and one lesbian cook) existing off the English coast in an old rust bucket of a ship? Because the stodgy English government, especially one Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), is on a crusade to kill rock music despite its overwhelming popularity throughout Britain, and the deejays have found safe haven outside of England's maritime jurisdiction. Or so they thought.

Since the movie takes place at the dawning of the sexual revolution, most of the deejays enjoy regular conjugal visits from some of their more desirable adoring female fans. It's not important that the girls are total strangers, as long as they can commingle with their radio heroes, whether it's Fat Dave or the debonair Gavin. One of the crew is called Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke) and, living up to his nickname, he alone is worth the price of admission.

As for Seymour Hoffman, he has landed yet another role that seems made only for him. But here he is not the whole show, just a major cog in a vastly entertaining two hours. Don't miss it!

Opinion: Strong See It Now!