It might be blockbuster season at the cinema with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stitch dominating the box office, but you really should find the time this weekend to see The Ballad of Wallis Island.
The new comedy was released in cinemas in late March in the US and we've had to wait for it in the UK, despite it being a very British movie in every sense. But the time has finally arrived for UK audiences to enjoy it – and it's proved itself very worthy of its near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating.
If anything, there's even a chance you'll think that The Ballad of Wallis Island hasn't been praised enough.
The Ballad of Wallis Island sees music superstar Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) arrive on the titular remote island for a private gig, organised by double-lottery winner Charles (Tim Key). He tells him it's for an audience of "up to 100", but really it's just for an audience of one for reasons that initially appear eccentric, only to turn heartbreaking.
What's more, Herb doesn't know that who Charles really wants to see perform is the classic folk-rock duo McGwyer Mortimer. Without Herb's knowledge, he's also invited his ex – both professionally and romantically – Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), who also arrives with her husband Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen) in case things weren't awkward enough.
But what seems like the setup for a rom-com as Herb and Nell reconcile is not what The Ballad of Wallis Island becomes. It has its sentimental moments, but is much more a comedy about grief, both of lost loves and what might have been professionally. It's a comedy that questions whether you can regain what you've lost – or if you even should.
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We might be in danger of making it sound too dry because it's also hilarious, maybe not in the big belly laughs fashion, but in a consistently funny way. A lot of that comes from the inspired performance from Tim Key who makes Charles an endearing talkative oddball who's as fond of wordplay ("Dame Judi Drenched") as he is of McGwyer Mortimer.
Charles is an ideal contrast to Herb's cynical view on life, with Tom Basden's perfectly-tuned performance making Herb a bit of a dick, but not too much of one. The arrival of Nell, who seems content in life despite a lack of stardom, also helps to crack Herb's hard shell, with Carey Mulligan balancing Nell's sweetness with enough bitterness at the past.
In expanding their 2007 short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, Basden and Key have enriched the story with the addition of Nell and avoided the temptation of convention. It might be a sweet and warm-hearted movie, but you'd be mistaken if you think you know how this ends, which only strengthens its emotional impact.
Perhaps most impressively, the music is terrific and fully believable as folk-rock songs that could have been successful. With gorgeous melodies and harmonies between Basden and Mulligan, the likes of 'Our Love', 'Raspberry Fair' and 'Sky Child' will have you tearing up like Charles does when he listens to McGwyer Mortimer.
Add in winning support from Sian Clifford, who has a great running gag about the lack of items in her shop, and Akemnji Ndifornyen, whose excitement at puffins instantly makes you want to hang out with him, and there's an embarrassment of riches that will make you fall hard for the movie.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is the best British movie of the year so far, and it's barely a contest. You'll immediately want an encore.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is out now in UK cinemas.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
