Directed By James Griffiths

Starring – Tim Key, Carey Mulligan, Tom Basden

The Plot – Follows Charles (Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Basden & Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.

Rated PG-13 for some adult language and smoking.

THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND – Official Trailer [HD] – Only in Theaters March 28

POSITIVES

The easiest way to define “The Ballas of Wallis Island” is to applaud it for being charming slice of life that seemingly offers something for everyone in the audience, but even that surface level encompassing dramatically undercuts the appeal of such an endearing romantic comedy, especially with both sides of the hybrid conjunction working beautifully alongside one another, without sacrificing the integrity of its counterpart. For the humor, this is truly some of the most effectively brilliant material that I have experienced this year, both in the caustically dry deliveries of British humor, but also in the rhythmic flows and broken English puns of the dynamics in dialogue that forced me to hang onto every word that its intoxicating personalities were delivering. What’s most refreshing is that the script doesn’t require adult humor to sell its impact, instead creating these almost episodic set pieces for these characters to break the ice towards one another, often leading to shattered vulnerabilities and overwhelming humility in ways that garnered razor sharp precision in comedic timing that I haven’t felt as prominently with any other comedy in quite sometime. As for the romance, it’s certainly not as dominant or refined as its comedic counterpart, however it sneaks up on the audience like the unrested ghosts of the past, and while it occasionally settles for some of the same tropes as the hundreds of predecessors before it, I loved that it refused to toe the predictable line of telegraphed paths that could’ve easily overlooked the moral responsibility of its characters, instead appraising a tremendous value towards the actions of said pasts, which have made them the unavoidable people who they are today. Besides a delightfully sincere screenplay, Griffiths direction goes a long way towards effortlessly articulating the coldly damp and gloomy isolated surroundings of this quietly quaint island far from convenient surroundings, with an almost socially awkward demeanor towards its town residents reminiscent of the environmental disconnect that their lack of awareness continuously conjures. As to where we’ve certainly seen European islands depicted in other films, here Griffiths shows a great appreciation for the simplicities that films in bigger settings simply can’t subscribe to, and with the scenic splendor of intoxicatingly framed cinematography from G. Magni Agustsson, offering us surrounding endless natural beauty of the seascapes, cements this societal simplicity that goes a long way towards accentuating the inescapable confrontation to its characters long-term conflicts with one another, balancing much of the dramatic impulses with the kind of spellbinding scenery that speaks volumes towards the clearly concise character clarity that the movie holds near and dear to its heart, in terms of value. On top of this, the performances from this talented trio go a long way towards bringing to life these characters, but none of them more impactful than Tim Key, who steals the show from two prestigious veteran actors of the stage in Mulligan and Basden. That duo’s tethered chemistry certainly goes a long way in emulating the tragic discourse of these once artistic and life soulmates, particularly in the ways they look with discomfort towards one another, but Key brandishes a child-like wonder and innocence that I haven’t quite seen since the late, great John Candy, with impeccable timing and stirring facial registries that will undoubtedly make you fall in love with him, the very second he shows up on screen. It would be easy to make this character feel a bit deranged or psychologically unhealthy, however Tim commits to character with an evidential earnestness that always has the most honorable of intentions, even if he doesn’t always think matters out, and it leads to the kind of breakthrough performance where even in the rare scenes that he isn’t a part of, I found myself anxiously awaiting the moment he weaved back into frame, with this palpable energy and unconventional charisma that serves as the early frontrunner for my favorite character of the year. Lastly, I do have a responsibility to the readers to talk about the clarity and coherence of the Irish accents displayed in the film, as they’re not as thick or lingo-dependent as some other movies set in the European islands. My particular screening did involve subtitles, which might not be a bad idea, but there was rarely a time when I didn’t accurately summon the meanings of what was being discussed, and while this is undoubtedly an authentic slice of British cinema, Griffiths does a good job in never alienating any audience demographic outside of this bubble, instead summoning clearly concise deliveries among his ensemble that help towards maintaining the attention and investment of an audience, while inside of a film that is 100% driven by dialogue.

NEGATIVES

In terms of unfortunate aspects, the script doesn’t quite explore every introduced conflict of these established characters with quite the amount of commitment that was needed, with the most impactful of these definitely being the rocky relationship of these dual musicians and what ultimately led to their untimely break-up. Because their confrontation is set-up in a way that requires characterization growth, particularly in the case of McGwyer, it feels strange that the exposition in dialogue between them never quite ventured back into such a vulnerably tender moment, and the result left me feeling a bit ambiguous towards who exactly was at fault, even despite the movie’s unabashed desire to make McGwyer feel like the obnoxiously evolved mainstream popstar with his own abundance of humility. On top of this, there’s an obviously predictable second act distancing with the third wheel of this established love triangle that required a bit of suspension of disbelief to go along with it, especially considering he’s forced to leave his wife alongside a former lover and longtime partner. Distancing is obviously needed to give McGwyer and Mortimer time to confront and heal their longstanding conflict with one another, but when it comes at the cost of this perfectly convenient opportunity that might as well be tying the woman up in a neat and tidy bow and dropping her off at the doorstep of her male counterpart, then it doesn’t gel as effectively as the nuances of the romantic material that follows it, serving as the one regretful motion towards the variety of romantic comedy tropes and cliches that feels a bit surreal to truly buy it, even if they make this third wheel the nerd that the movie so obviously wants him to be. The abundance of underdevelopment and convenience then leads to a finale, that, while rewarding for the optimistic outlook that it gives some characters, feels far too abrupt and unresolved for others that the whole movie revolved around. Particularly, one character’s explained-but-prolonged disappearance feels far too crucial towards the integrity of the conflict, leaving me waiting for the moment that they would inevitably show up, yet disappointed by the reality that it simply never came. It makes “Wallis Island” feel like it reaches a bit forcefully for that feel-good ending, without completely earning it all the way, leading to a fade to black moment with the end credits that made me wanting more, but not exactly in the ways of full satisfaction, and in the case of the movie’s lasting impressions has it falling a bit flat when it’s most defining.

OVERALL
“The Ballad of Wallis Island” is a charmingly tuned and hilariously humming romantic comedy that goes above and beyond to appraise concrete value to the decisions of our pasts that haunt us in our everyday present. Despite occasional flaws with underdeveloped arcs or a seemingly unfinished conflict, the film is tremendously elevated by a trio of leads with impeccable chemistry, but particularly that of Tim Key, who takes center stage in a spotlight-stealing performance so authentically human that it articulates the power that music holds to those of us seeking answers from life’s most defining conflicts.

My Grade: 7.9 or B