(L to R) Tom Basden as Herb McGwyer, Carey Mulligan as Nell Mortimer and Tim Key as Charles in director James Griffiths' THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved.
What do most of us want in life? A chance at love? A second chance at love? A little money to keep us going? A purpose to our existence? Welcome to Wallis Island, where these four longings are played out in the most charming way. The Ballad of Wallis Island is a beautiful movie that keeps from becoming sentimental by a combination of great acting and an abundance of laughter.
When you win the lottery (twice) you can choose your passion. Charles (Tim Key) decides to invite his favourite singing duo Mortimer and McGwyer to perform a concert on his tiny island. They haven’t sung together in years, but this concert might change all that or, at least, afford Charles a wonderful event. What he doesn’t tell them is that the concert will only have an audience of one. He also forgets to tell Herb McGwyer (Tom Barsden) that Nell Mortimer (a wonderful Carey Mulligan), will be there as well. Herb had assumed that this would be a big concert, with him playing his new music. Herb and Nell had been romantic partners as well as a singing duo, and Herb is now on edge about the upcoming meeting.
From the moment that Herb arrives on shore, or more correctly, in the water (there is no dock on such a tiny island) the laughter begins. Charles is a master of wild word plays, which he can’t seem to stop using, and which the audience can’t seem to stop laughing at and groaning over. He is also a nonstop talker. Herb’s cellphone is wrecked in his early encounter with water, and Charles is baffled that rice could fix this situation. The hunt is on. Would pasta work? How about rice pudding? Microwaving? The combination of naive rube and exasperated city guy is played to the hilt.
When Nell finally arrives on the island we wonder whether this movie will turn into a romantic comedy. Will the singing couple come together again as a romantic duo? There is a complication, however. Nell has arrived with her husband. The tension mounts as two different goals are suddenly being pursued, at least by one of the duo.
I was not familiar with the work of either of the two main characters in The Ballad of Wallis Island. Tom Barsden (Herb) and Tim Key (Charles) are well-known comedic actors in Britain. They not only star in the movie, but also wrote the script. Their delivery of their own words are perfect, beautifully timed, and flawlessly executed. This is not an over-the-top comedy, but lighthearted and beguiling. Tom Barsden also wrote the music for the movie, and his singing is quite charming as well.
Filmed on an island off Wales, the beauty of the setting adds to the appeal of the movie. One might not want to live on Wallis Island, but the loveliness of the place ensures our one celluloid visit is memorable.
I tried throughout the movie to anticipate what the outcome would be. Would romance prevail? It did, but not in the way I’d envisioned. Did sentimentality ever win out? No. The actors/screenwriters were too good at their craft to let that happen. Did the characters find what they were looking for? They did, but again, not in the manner I’d envisioned. If you have a few free hours this week, I highly recommend this movie. You will come out of the theatre smiling.
The Ballad of Wallace Island is available in theatres on Friday, April 4th, 2025.
