{"id":198881,"date":"2025-10-14T07:25:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T07:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/198881\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T07:25:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T07:25:25","slug":"prime-video-just-got-the-most-charming-movie-of-2025-so-far-and-its-96-on-rotten-tomatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/198881\/","title":{"rendered":"Prime Video just got the most charming movie of 2025 (so far) \u2014 and it\u2019s 96% on Rotten Tomatoes"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an unfortunate reality of the current cinema landscape that some excellent movies will get overlooked each year, and I definitely rank \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d among those movies in 2025. This heartfelt and melancholic British comedy-drama is a rare gem, but it didn\u2019t quite get the attention it deserved during its limited theatrical release back in March.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a real shame, as this excellent little movie deserves all the acclaim it\u2019s received (it\u2019s managed a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes). In better news, it\u2019s just arrived on Prime Video, offering it a second chance to earn the larger audience it so richly deserves. After all, being added to the library of one of the biggest streaming services<\/a> is a huge opportunity to get in front of more eyeballs, and I really hope subscribers don\u2019t opt to skip this newcomer.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In an effort to ensure \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d doesn\u2019t sink into Prime Video obscurity, getting lost in the platform\u2019s vast selection of movies, or overshadowed by lackluster originals like the recent rom-com \u201cMaintenance Required,\u201d I\u2019m here to sing this movie’s praises. Here\u2019s why \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d should be at the very top of your Prime Video watchlist.<\/p>\n

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What is \u2018The Ballad of Wallis Island\u2019 about<\/p>\n

THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND – Official Trailer [HD] – Only in Theaters March 28 – YouTube
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Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Directed by James Griffith and written by stars Tom Baden and Tim Key, \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d is a feature-length adaptation of the trio\u2019s award-winning short film: “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.”<\/p>\n

Charles Heath (Key) is a reclusive lottery winner and resident of the eponymous remote Welsh island. He\u2019s also the world\u2019s biggest fan of McGwyer Mortimer. This folk music act, comprised of Herby McGwyer (Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), broke up a decade ago, both as a band and as a romantic couple. Yes, there are big Fleetwood Mac vibes.<\/p>\n

Using his lotto winnings, Charles pays McGwyer and Mortimer to come to Wallis Island and play a very special reunion show, exclusively for him. However, once the estranged pair arrives on the island, all tensions surface, and they grapple with their past and present ahead of Charles’ dream show.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Ballad of Wallis Island\u2019 is ridiculously charming <\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Focus Features)<\/p>\n

I found myself falling in love with \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d almost immediately. That\u2019s largely because of the genius of Tim Key. The first scene of the movie sees McGwyer arriving on Wallis Island by boat, with an overly eager Charles ready to greet him shoreside. Charles\u2019s quirky personality and inability to stop talking instantly became apparent. From the first time he opened his mouth, I was totally on board with the gentle comedy on offer.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

The drama starts to ramp up once Mortimer arrives on the scene. The duo themselves feel quite inspired by Fleetwood Mac, and their reunion on Wallis Island after 10 years is by no means a completely smooth one. There\u2019s a slimmering romantic tension, but also the clear sense that while Mortimer has moved on (and is even now married), McGwyer is still stuck in the past.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Entertainment Pictures \/ Focus Features \/ Alamy Stock Photo)<\/p>\n

The latter is the movie\u2019s most interesting character (even if Charles is the scene-stealer). McGwyer starts off the movie deeply cynical, currently making \u201ccommercial\u201d music that he loathes. But coming to Wallis Island, meeting Charles, and being reunited with Morimer changes his outlook, and his sarcastic rockstar veneer starts to fall away, letting viewers meet the real McGwyer, who is a lot more likable and proves to be quite a sweetheart.<\/p>\n

The movie is stuffed with original Mortimer McGwyer songs, and while the folk genre isn\u2019t exactly to my taste, I found the tunes included supremely well-suited for the movie\u2019s wistful tone, and each comes at just the right moment. And even if they\u2019re not my favorite songs ever, you can\u2019t help but get lost in the moment, much like Charles, who beams at each chord.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Entertainment Pictures \/ Focus Features \/ Alamy Stock Photo)<\/p>\n

Underneath the movie\u2019s likeable characters and pleasant comedy, there\u2019s a relatable sadness to \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island.\u201d It\u2019s a very melancholic movie. Each of its three central characters is dealing with their own personal problems, and while it never strays into heightened melodrama, there is a strong emotional power that keeps you invested until the fitting ending.<\/p>\n

Like the best feel-good movies, \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d isn\u2019t afraid to almost make you feel a little blue on occasion. But it\u2019s hopeful in tone overall, reminding viewers of the importance of making meaningful connections with those around us and of not getting too hung up on the past. It\u2019s never flashy in its approach, and that\u2019s exactly what makes it so impactful.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Ballad of Wallis Island\u2019 is a must-watch on Prime Video<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Focus Features)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not the only superfan of \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island.\u201d The movie currently holds a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, which is more than enough for a \u201cfresh\u201d rating. The site\u2019s \u2018Critics Consensus\u2019 reads, \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island hums along a sweet melody without lapsing into outright sentimentality, mining a great deal of warmth from its humble premise.\u201d And this isn\u2019t a case where the critics loved it but viewers didn’t. Its audience score is 93%.<\/p>\n

Prime Video has already become the streaming home of a couple of overlooked movies released in 2025 (such as spy thriller \u201cBlack Bag\u201d<\/a>), and \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d is another to add to the growing list. Perhaps the strongest endorsement I can offer is that the moment I saw it was being added to the Amazon platform, I was already planning my next rewatch.<\/p>\n

If, for some reason, you\u2019re still not convinced to give this movie a chance, then here\u2019s a guide to everything new on Prime Video in October 2025<\/a>, but I implore you to take my advice and stream \u201cThe Ballad of Wallis Island\u201d this weekend. It\u2019s a wonderful little movie that deserves all the love it’s earned.<\/p>\n

Watch “The Ballad of Wallis Island” on Prime Video<\/a> now<\/p>\n

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!<\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n

Streaming service deals not to miss<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s an unfortunate reality of the current cinema landscape that some excellent movies will get overlooked each year,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":198882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-198881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}