As a longtime Gilbert and Sullivan fan, this movie should have been agonizing to sit through. I learned of it through someone else's review of it and then decided to watch the thing from start to finish. And I couldn't believe it: I was being entertained. Barring the obligatory pop-culture references and horse manure joke, the movie has a sense of humor that speaks to me in a way few other movies do. For example, I don't care what anyone else thinks, the song "Pumpin' and Blowin'" is one of the funniest things ever.
Even though I cherish the original Pirates of Penzance, I liked the added songs with the exception of Frederic's solo, and that was more dull than unbearable. I was also pleasantly surprised with all the dialogue from the original they kept in.
I admit the movie drags in parts (mainly in the section right after "Pumpin',") but Kristy McNichol's lively performance holds it together more than anything else. She feels real, for lack of a better word, and has a great deal more agency and delight in her own existence than many film heroines then or now. One of my favorite scenes is where she tries to seduce the Pirate King, if only for the reason that I can't believe it was made. I really can't decide whether The Pirate Movie should be called So Bad, It's Good or just plain good.
Even though I cherish the original Pirates of Penzance, I liked the added songs with the exception of Frederic's solo, and that was more dull than unbearable. I was also pleasantly surprised with all the dialogue from the original they kept in.
I admit the movie drags in parts (mainly in the section right after "Pumpin',") but Kristy McNichol's lively performance holds it together more than anything else. She feels real, for lack of a better word, and has a great deal more agency and delight in her own existence than many film heroines then or now. One of my favorite scenes is where she tries to seduce the Pirate King, if only for the reason that I can't believe it was made. I really can't decide whether The Pirate Movie should be called So Bad, It's Good or just plain good.