An eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favorite musicians to perform at his home.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is a charming British comedy starring Tim Key, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan, adapted from a short film that was BAFTA nominated in 2008. It tells the story of Herb McGwyer (Basden), a down on his luck musician who accepts a lucrative offer to perform on a remote Welsh island, on the proviso he plays music from the folk duo he was in 15 years ago. Arriving on the island it appears not all is as it seems, with the remote island even quieter than thought (i.e. a handful of people) and it becomes clear that the man who has booked McGwyer has essentially booked him to play for himself and himself alone.

He is Charles Heath (Key), an eccentric multimillionaire who won the lottery years earlier before tragically losing his wife Marie, leading him to become a recluse. His and his wife’s favourite band were Mortimer McGwyer, a folk duo featuring Herb and his former romantic partner Nell Mortimer (Mulligan), and hearing them together is how he wants to spend his money. Since that album was recorded, Herb and Nell broke up both the band and romantically, and haven’t seen each other since, and Charles doesn’t quite let on to Herb that Nell has also been invited. He’s pursuing a solo career but it’s clear he’s not happy, heightened when it becomes apparent she’s moved on and hasn’t, which is drawn out especially when she arrives on the island and they start playing the old songs and spending time together, recalling happier memories from the past.

This is a genuinely lovely little film that does that very British style extremely well where it blends offbeat and silly comedy with genuine sweetness, that feels earned and not overly sentimental or cloying. Mulligan adds a bit of star quality but it’s the two Tim’s who are the stars of the show here. Charles is the type of character that could be annoying if misjudged, but the writing and Key’s performance really make you warm to him and he ultimately comes across as a nice loner whose awkwardness is winsome. Basden, best known to me at least for one of Ricky Gervais foils in ‘After Life’, is also great, bitter and sad but with an acerbic wit and he grows on you over the course of the movie.

There’s plenty of laughs in ‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’, mixed in with a story of two men perhaps finding what they really needed in the way they least expected it. This is a genuinely sweet and charming movie and I really enjoyed it.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: James Griffiths

Starring: Tim Key, Tom Basden, Carey Mulligan, Akemnji Ndifornyen and Sian Clifford

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt27674982/