The Ballad of Wallis Island
This review contains spoilers
The comedy: I won't say that I didn't smile a couple times, but most comedies can at least get that from me. I understand they live on an island and they are understandably behind the times (they still just have a payphone) but a pretty lengthy gag involves Mulligan's character trying to get a Reese Peanut Butter Cup. And the shopkeeper doesn't know what it is, and she is like, "You can have this peanut butter, and maybe put it in this cup" (ha ha, it's a drinking cup!). Or as someone else noted either here or in a critical review (I can't remember), splashing around in water.
This movie does not succeed because it's a great comedy. In terms of comedies I still enjoy from 2025, it's one of the least funny ones. It succeeds because it's sweet, and yes, "big-hearted." It tackles timeless themes of artistry vs commercialism, finding your soul again, not getting too caught up in the past, love and lost love. And the chemistry between the three pictured on the poster is good.
Tim Key's character: I understand they were going for this, but his character was often annoying. It would have been a little better if he was actually funny. I understand that his character is secluded, lost his wife, and the reason he's so militant and obsessed with Herb and Nel is because his wife was also obsessed, and it's a way to kind of "be with her" again. That reasoning is great. No problem. But his constant yapping was a little bit too much for me. I see the goodness in his heart, so I wouldn't lambast him if I was in that situation, but man, someone yapping at me while I'm in the bathroom would drive me up the wall. And I know that Herb's character expresses frustration from within the tub, so it's not like it's not acknowledged.
I understand this is a me problem. Key's performance is great, and there are times where he just looks on, and he captures so much emotion in just that. I don't blame him. Artistic intent is important to me so I often can justify characters by being like, "Well, they're meant to be that way," and so I'm usually more forgiving. But I can't lie: his character took me out of this a bunch. It did dampen my enjoyment.
By itself I don't think it would be so bad. If there was a much stronger movie attached I would have forgiven it more. Like I said, if he was funnier I would have found him more endearing. Someone like Deadpool yaps all the time and, in universe, is quite annoying, but he's funny.
With all this said, 70/100 is still "good" on my scale. This is a good movie. I'd recommend it to anybody. I think there's real potential here for people to gain something incredibly impactful from it.
This movie does not succeed because it's a great comedy. In terms of comedies I still enjoy from 2025, it's one of the least funny ones. It succeeds because it's sweet, and yes, "big-hearted." It tackles timeless themes of artistry vs commercialism, finding your soul again, not getting too caught up in the past, love and lost love. And the chemistry between the three pictured on the poster is good.
Tim Key's character: I understand they were going for this, but his character was often annoying. It would have been a little better if he was actually funny. I understand that his character is secluded, lost his wife, and the reason he's so militant and obsessed with Herb and Nel is because his wife was also obsessed, and it's a way to kind of "be with her" again. That reasoning is great. No problem. But his constant yapping was a little bit too much for me. I see the goodness in his heart, so I wouldn't lambast him if I was in that situation, but man, someone yapping at me while I'm in the bathroom would drive me up the wall. And I know that Herb's character expresses frustration from within the tub, so it's not like it's not acknowledged.
I understand this is a me problem. Key's performance is great, and there are times where he just looks on, and he captures so much emotion in just that. I don't blame him. Artistic intent is important to me so I often can justify characters by being like, "Well, they're meant to be that way," and so I'm usually more forgiving. But I can't lie: his character took me out of this a bunch. It did dampen my enjoyment.
By itself I don't think it would be so bad. If there was a much stronger movie attached I would have forgiven it more. Like I said, if he was funnier I would have found him more endearing. Someone like Deadpool yaps all the time and, in universe, is quite annoying, but he's funny.
With all this said, 70/100 is still "good" on my scale. This is a good movie. I'd recommend it to anybody. I think there's real potential here for people to gain something incredibly impactful from it.
Mini Review: It's a sweet movie. Pretty much ends up where I expected narratively/thematically, though to its credit, I wanted it to. It did upend my expectations in that it didn't result in a huge, emotional outburst. Would have liked to see more Mulligan. Key puts in a good performance, elevating a character I wasn't a huge fan of for a decent portion of it. Not a funny movie, often feeling like it's forcing quirk. Music's really nice, however. Good movie. Not in love.