A charmer about three people planning an island concert and a heartwarming gay rom-com top our roundup in a week that serves up a strong slate of films.
So let’s dig in.
“The Ballad of Wallis Island”: When the term “heartwarming” gets attached to a movie, it can denote a sickly sweet manipulator of emotions that appeases rather than pleases the audience. Not so with “Wallis Island,” this delightful dramedy by director James Griffiths and screenwriters Tom Basden and Tim Key delivers that rare cinematic bird that soars beyond expectations and earns those “heart-warning” and “feel-good” labels without insulting your intelligence. It features three relatable characters — one far quirkier than the others — and disarms and wins us over in each and every scene. Basden and Key, who also co-star, have expanded upon their 2007 short film “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island,” by giving Carey Mulligan a plumb part. She’s a delight as Nell, half of the McGwyer Mortimer music duo that’s been defunct for nearly a decade. But this “Ballad” belongs most to two characters: Nell’s former bandmate and lover Herb McGwyer (Basden) who’s been establishing a solo career, and the wealthy, very gabby Charles (Key), who made a killing from purchasing two lottery tickets.
Charles is a lonely but immensely lovable oddball who wears interesting sweaters and listens to McGwyer Mortimer records while reflecting on what life was like when his wife was alive. Key steers away from turning Charles into a cliched, overly cute caricature. His Charles is endearing but also lined with sadness. Charles invites the musical duo to perform on the remote island he calls home, but neglects to tell either that the big concert, which comes with a huge payday for both, will be for an audience of one. Herb arrives first and is far more dubious about Charles and his obsession with him. Herb also gets a big surprise when Nell arrives by a small boat with her husband Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen). As the two prep for the concert, their collaborative process brings back memories, but does it rekindle what they once had? “The Ballad of Wallis Island” plays out almost as if it were one of the soothing warm-blanket songs that the duo produced (the songs here are quite nice). “The Ballad of Wallis Island” is an emotional booster shot that lifts the spirits and gives us a case of the warm fuzzies — and you won’t hate yourself for feeling them. We need more movies like it. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters April 4.
“The Friend”: Former Bay Area filmmakers David Siegel and Scott McGehee’s literary movie is an exceptional adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s acclaimed novel. The duo take what could have turned into a dog-eared tear-jerker about a New York writer (Naomi Watts) becoming more emotionally and metaphorically connected to a grieving Great Dane named Apollo (played with depressed stoicism by Bing the Dog) and making it not only humane but profound. Naomi Watts is transcendent as reliable Iris, the author friend of recently departed mentor Walter (Bill Murray), an author of renown who was recently caught up in a #MeToo scandal. Walter bequeaths Iris his Great Dane, a massive bummer of a canine who keeps sinking deeper into despair over the loss of his companion. He’s impossible to live with and takes over the bed. As Iris faces more roadblocks in handing him off to someone, the two bond over their own grieving process and realize that they are both lonely and in need of a friend. It’s a lovely drama with light comic touches and many more insights about life, grief, writerly ambition and friendship. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters April 4.
“Dying for Sex”: In FX’s eight-part standalone series, a Stage IV cancer diagnosis blows up the linear and not overly exciting life of Molly Kochan (Michelle Williams). She does something to change that, kicking her condescending husband Steve (Jay Duplass) to the curb so she can fully pursue a liberated, no-holds-barred sex life rather than the stifled one that left her unsatisfied. Serving as her wing woman on this road trip through desire is her struggling actress best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate), a non-stop talker whose emotions always spill forth — even when they shouldn’t. The series is based on a real-life podcast and follows Molly’s adventures and misadventures with a variety of partners, including a sloppy new apartment neighbor (Rob Delaney) whom she dominates. All of these encounters are funny, raw and real, in line with the series itself. But what makes “Dying for Sex” more than just a collections of scenes involving sexis the foundational friendship between Molly and Nikki. It’s compassionate and believable with Williams and Slate giving us an honest depiction of the unbreakable love that can be shared between two female friends. There’s much more to savor in co-writers and co-creators Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether’s inspired series, including Sissy Spacek’s welcome performance as Molly’s complicated mother, Esco Jouléy as an understanding, nonjudgmental social worker and David Rasche as an old-school oncologist who learns that it’s OK to talk about sex and treat the patient as a person. The final episode is the best; it’s near perfect in every way. Details: 3½ stars, all episodes drop April 4 on Hulu)
“A Nice Indian Boy”: Most gay men can relate to Naveen Gavaskar (“Abbott Elementary’s” Karan Soni) and his reaction to the eternal question he gets asked at over-the-top Indian weddings: When will you be walking down the aisle? He’d like to say in a couple of months, but can’t since he hasn’t landed a special guy. His fate changes when Jay (Jonathan Groff, going full on adorable) walks into a temple where Naveen’s praying charms the heck out of him. Jay, who was adopted by two Indian parents, wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s a dreamboat, too. The two fall fast for each other and then, in true rom-com style, encounter relationship hiccups over how Naveen’s not so forthcoming about introducing the out-and-proud Jay as his boyfriend. More comedy and drama ensue in Eric Randall’s breezy adaptation of Madhuri Shekar’s stage play, which introduces us to Naveen’s family: his trying-to-be overly hip to gay culture mom (an irresistible Zarna Garg), his less demonstrative dad (Harish Patel) and his hot mess of an older sister Arundhathi (Sunita Mani). Director Roshan Sethi delivers a big-hearted rom-com that will make you smile, sniffle, and, best of all, feel better about the world. And isn’t that just what we want out of a romcom? You bet. Details: 3 stars; in theaters April 4.
“Misericordia”: French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie’s (‘Stranger By the Lake”) cunning provocation taps the genres he loves: film noir, dark comedy, even romance. Guiraudie refuses to keel over to one specific format, but he does expect you to speculate on why his elusive characters react in such voracious ways and then consider what’s getting left unsaid here — absent conversations about repressed carnal desires. Guiraudie states upfront that you need to buckle up since he’s taking you down a twisty road that’s driven by Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) who must navigate some hair-pin innuendoes once he arrives in his hometown. The unsaid things sprout up faster than the penis-shaped mushrooms that Jérémie plucks from the woods, where many in the town roam for some said and some unsaid reasons. The wanderers include an affable priest (Jacques Develay). Jérémie, an unemployed baker, has returned to the village to attend his former baker boss’s funeral. That man had a huge influence on Jérémie’s life and perhaps in other ways too, which we consider when Jérémie grows overly attached to a photo in an album of his mentor in a Speedo. The implications pile up from there as Jérémie spars intimately with his former boss’s hot-headed son (Jean-Baptiste Durand) while his ex-boss’s widow (Catherine Frot) eagerly invites him to stay too long in her home. There’s a lot of so-called “inappropriate behavior” going on, some involving a slovenly guy (David Ayala) from Jérémie’s past. “Misericordia,” which translates to “mercy,” doesn’t go out of its way to tell audiences all of what’s exactly going on. Nor should it. The mysteries that are harbored inside of the characters may be hard to pry out at first. But look again – I watched it twice and will gladly do so many more times – and you can deduce more about what lies under the surface and then consider what it says about you. Expect this one to be in the Criterion collection in the near future. Details: 4 stars; opening April 4 at the Roxie in San Francisco.
