Director: James Griffiths
Screenplay: Tom Basden, Tim Key
Starring: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Carey Mulligan, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen
Country: UK
Running Time: 100 min
Year: 2025
BBFC Certificate: 12
Several years after their heyday, Herb McGwyer (Basden), one half of folk double act McGwyer Mortimer, finds himself heading to a remote Welsh island to perform an intimate gig, invited by super fan Charles (Key). Already not thrilled by the less than glamourous location, travel and living conditions, Herb’s experience is exacerbated with the unexpected arrival of his former partner Nell Mortimer (Mulligan) and her new husband (Ndifornyen).
Based on a short film made by Basden and Key in 2007 (itself included on the special features of this disc, more on that later), The Ballad of Wallis Island is easily one of my top films of 2025, which is odd given its general lack of dinosaurs, sharks, heists or time travel. Instead it’s a sweet, character-driven comedy with a great script, well-judged performances and a lot of – but crucially not too many – very funny jokes. It’s not a gag-a-second comedic onslaught akin to other 2025 releases such as The Naked Gun, whose scattershot approaches result in far more misses than hits. The script here is more carefully crafted, but also allows for pratfalls and simple misunderstandings – who’d have thought there was still comedy to be mined from drying a wet phone in rice or slipping on a bowl of crumble?
Whilst this is a film about a band, for me the music doesn’t overly stand out, despite it being played throughout the film. To be fair, I’ve never been very musically inclined so this could just be a “me” issue, but I feel if this had been created by the likes of John Carney then the songs might have a little more staying power with me. Then again, this is a film more about the characters retuning into their musical pasts than it is about the music itself.
Performance-wise the key player is Key, Tim that is. Whilst Basden is great as the put-upon lead, and Mulligan brings her an easy charm to Nell, the character of Charles is equal parts familiar and unique. A self-isolated hermit could easily come across as a grumpy, antisocial curmudgeon, or an out-and-out weirdo confused by the world outside of his island, but Charles is lovably nervous, all too aware that he’s coming across too strong in the close proximity of his idols, but being utterly devoid of the ability to tone himself down and wrangle himself back. Do I find him so endearing because, to quote my wife whilst we watched this, “Oh my God, he’s you!”? Who can say. Although given this was soon followed by “God he’s annoying… I find him so infuriating!”, since watching I’ve been in my own head more than a little with regards to how I present myself to the world.
Having been a mild follower of Key since seeing him on the first series of Taskmaster, I’m more used to him being an anarchic and cheeky presence, but this, alongside his brief role in Mickey 17 this year, has expanded my expectations. I don’t think the Oscars will pay him much attention, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he receives a BAFTA nod, and I’d love for the film to receive some recognition for costume design, based on Charles’ delightful hand-knitted whale cardigan alone.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is well worth your time, it’s just lovely, and I intend to keep visiting time and time again.
The one and only noteworthy extra on the disc is the original short film, The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, which appears to have been filmed on greaseproof paper using an Etch-a-Sketch. It’s maybe the lowest resolution video I’ve ever watched, but I’m not annoyed at the lack of any attempt to upgrade it for the Blu-ray release, as I feel that would deter from the original charm. The short is only really worth watching to see the progression from original idea to fully fleshed out result, as much of the same scenes and lines of dialogue are used. The initial premise is just between the Herb and Charles characters, with the Nell of it all being a welcome addition for the feature film.
