The Ballad of Wallis Island is the new film written by British comedy legends Tim Key and Tom Basden and also starring Carey Mulligan.
What’s Going On?
Ageing famous musician Herb McGwyer is hired to perform at a private party by fans on a remote island for a huge fee, only to find out that there is only one fan – Charles. Not only that, but Herb’s old bandmate Nell Mortimer has also been hired without his knowledge, complicating matters additionally in that they were not just bandmates.
In Front Of The Camera
The film stars Tim Key, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan. Tim Key and Tom Basden are long-time friends and colleagues in the British comedian scene, both were stand-up comedians and have worked together on numerous projects, including BBC sketch show Cowards and Anthonya short film about Santa Claus crashing his sleigh and the brutal survival battle he and one of his elves then have to go on. To go through some of their credits – Peep Show, Plebs, Inside No. 9, After Life, various Alan Partridge shows, The Detectorists and more.
Carey Mulligan is a much bigger star than either of these two and a high-profile actor from films like Drive, Never Let Me Go, Shame, and more and presumably Mulligan was attracted to this film because she believed in it rather than the fame and money it could bring.
Behind The Scenes
The film is written by Tom Basden and Tim Key. Basden has written the BBC show Here We Go, as well as working on Plebs, Gap Year and has written for many sitcoms like Peep Show and Fresh Meat. Key has fewer writing credits but has contributed to many interesting projects, and as his stand-up comedy is mainly comedic poetry, he has published books of his poems, as well as winning the 2009 Edinburgh Comedy Award.
The film is directed by James Griffiths, who has primarily worked in TV, directing episodes of Black-Ish, Episodes and Free Agents, as well as directing the original short film that The Ballad of Wallis Island is based on.
Does It Work?
Tom Basden and Tim Key bring a particular kind of humour to all of their projects, and it won’t be for everyone. Key is immediately incredibly awkward as Charles, or rather makes the audience and everyone else awkward, his eagerness and constant need to make gentle quips could be either irritating or endearing (both in reality and in the film). Tom Basden as Herb is almost equally immediately unlikeable, despite the fact that we would surely see his point – a famous musician who is being rowed to a gig where he has to wade through several feet of water, as there is no dock or jetty, does not scream professionalism. Despite Charles’ genuinely annoying behaviour at times, you cannot help but absolutely love him. This is a man who follows what he loves, lives a relatively simple existence. He has found and lost genuine soul-mate type love, but carries on enjoying life. The interaction with Herb and Nell helps to bring him out of the semi-isolation he has landed himself in is one of the joys of the film.
Carey Mulligan is very good as the third part of this unusual dynamic – she does bring a husband, but he conveniently goes away for several days – and we can see the ways in which she sees things differently from Herb, especially as to how things ended between them. But ultimately, the key relationship is not between Herb and Nell but between Herb and Charles. Basden and Key are both fantastic, and while sometimes Key’s range can feel limited (and looking at his other acting performances, that may well be true), what he can do, he does brilliantly.
The film avoids any number of clichéd ways to go – avoiding rom-com tropes and the like. Charles’ constant references to “we” and a partner who is clearly not around are painfully ignored by Herb for as long as possible. The understated sadness of Charles is very rarely ever visible on the surface, and ultimately, while he has sadness within him, he isn’t sad; his existence now is not merely lamenting what he has lost. There are other clichés that the film avoids, which would be spoilers and as such avoided here, but lead to a refreshing feel of the film.
Rating: 
(3.5 / 5)
The Ballad of Wallis Island is a charming, funny and emotionally touching film that anyone could enjoy but for some people who click with the style of comedy, will love.
