The Ballad of Wallis Island – Review

Musician Herb McGwyer (Basden) boats in on a small craft, heading towards a paid gig on Wallis Island; a secluded place off the coast of Wales. There is no harbor, pier or landing zone, as Herb begins to realize when his boat driver slows down nowhere near shore. Thankfully, Charles Heath (Key) is there to greet him, slowly trudging into the water to awkwardly introduce himself.

After a sloppy landing, McGwyer starts to realize how small this island really is, as Charles will be his host for the small, less than 100 gig. There is no hotel, and only a tiny store with limited goods operated by Amanda (Clifford). Good thing this is a short stay and a large pay-day. Herb has not been “in the money” for quite a while, having left his popular duo McGwyer Mortimer to go solo years ago. Nell Mortimer (Mulligan) was left in the dust as Herb reached for more recognition himself.

Charles proves to be a bit of an oddball host with an extreme McGwyer Mortimer obsession, loving the music and collecting memorabilia. He also simply must comment and/or agree on most every little thing said, unsaid, observed, or thought of with his verbal diarrhea mouth. Mostly it is harmless and funny, but Charles certainly has some goofy habits and irk Herb a bit. That being said, the absolute wad of cash being offered for this gig just can’t be denied, so Herb is there to play his set! Can he withstand Charles barrage of admiration?

The Ballad of Wallis Island is a funny and mostly sweet film with a sharp script and a scenic backdrop. The cast is very small, and there is plenty of awkward moments, but there are some real genuine moments interspersed between also. It remains an intimate venture, just like Herb’s gig. Basden and Key wrote the script and realized their characters very well, who are quite different yet somehow find a great vibe for this film as it goes on. There is a lot of fun in this movie and slight romance, so it should be pretty harmless for most viewers.