A lottery winner attempts to reunite his favourite folk duo for a private
concert on a remote island.
Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: James Griffiths
Starring: Tim Key, Carey Mulligan, Tom Basden, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen
It's taken 18 years for director James Griffiths and
writer/performers Tim Key and Tom Basden to expand their BAFTA nominated 2007 short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island to feature length, but it's been worth the wait. The Ballad of Wallis Island shares the same basic setup as its predecessor, that of a folk
singer reluctantly travelling to a remote Welsh island to perform a
private gig for a minted but lonely lottery winner, with Basden and Key
reprising their roles But significant changes have been made that
reflect the maturation of all involved in the two decades since.
In the 2007 film, Basden played Herb McGwyer, a star of the then
popular British folk scene that was spearheaded by the awful Mumford
& Sons. This feature version wisely acknowledges how that scene is
long dead, with a craggier Basden returning to play Herb as bitter and
washed-up.
Desperate for the funds to record a new album, Herb accepts the
reclusive Charles' offer of half a million pounds to play a gig on the
eponymous island. What Herb doesn't know is that it's a private
performance for an audience of one. Expecting to be put up in a hotel,
Herb is none too pleased when he learns he'll have to stay in Charles'
spare room.
Charles has neglected to inform Herb of one other major detail: he's
also invited Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), the other half
of once popular folk duo McGwyer Mortimer and Herb's former lover, with
the intent of an impromptu reunion. Herb is shocked to discover Nell is
now married and has brought her American husband Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen) along for the trip.
The Ballad of Wallis Island boasts a high concept premise and its music theme suggests we're
in for a cosy British cousin of a Cameron Crowe movie. The stakes appear
initially obvious. Will Herb and Nell be able to put their differences
aside in order to put on a show? Will they rekindle their romance? But
it quickly becomes evident that this is a far more complex and nuanced
drama than its elevator pitch might suggest. The movie has a light tone
but it's brutally honest when it comes to notions of romance, and we're
left with few doubts that Herb is deluding himself if he thinks he can
win Nell back. While we're rooting for Herb and Nell to reunite
musically for the sake of Charles, whose true motivation for staging the
gig gradually becomes apparent, there's nothing to suggest that they're
two people who otherwise belong together. The film bucks convention by
making Herb's potential love rival Michael a far nicer bloke than Herb,
who is essentially a pretentious and sullen douchebag, at least until he
learns not to be.
The leads are all natural fits for their roles. Key's comfort with
portraying someone who uses humour as a defence mechanism suggests a
comic craft honed on hostile schoolyards. Basden excels in the Steve
Martin Planes, Trains and Automobiles role of the straight man who just wants to get all this over with
but eventually warms to his initially annoying comic foil. Mulligan is
her usual ray of light as Nell, who has long ago left the music business
and whose content with her current life is starkly contrasted with
Herb's torment.
The movie is loaded with small laugh out loud moments, mostly courtesy
of Charles' terrible dad humour, and it has some clever running gags
like the bag full of coins Herb is forced to lug around so he can make
calls from the island's one pay phone. Music fans will enjoy some
insider jokes, like how Nell is clearly the Garfunkel of this duo and as
such isn't nearly as fawned over by her host as Herb.
Of course, we know certain conventions will be leaned into, so it's no
surprise when Herb begins to get back in touch with his "pure" roots by
spending time away from the limelight. But even when it's trading in
clichés, The Ballad of Wallis Island does so with a charm all of its own, and you'll find yourself
wishing for a fairy tale ending that may not actually arrive. Griffiths'
film may not give you what you think you want from such a comic drama,
but if you give it a try you just might find you can get what you need
from it.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is
in UK/ROI cinemas from May 30th.
