A wee British charmer made with warmth and heart, "The Ballad of Wallis Island" is as comfortable and cozy as a soft blanket, the kind of low-key comedy Brits excel at and Americans don't even bother attempting.

Star and screenwriter Tim Key plays Charles, a wealthy and idiosyncratic lottery winner who lives on a Welsh island and pretty much has the whole place to himself. He hires his favorite musician, Herb McGwyer (co-writer Tom Basden), to come to the island and play a very intimate private concert — so intimate, in fact, it's for an audience of one.

Herb, who's used to a certain level of star treatment, doesn't realize quite what he's getting himself into. And there's another wrinkle when he realizes the concert is to be a duet with Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), his former musical partner in the folk-rock duo McGwyer Mortimer and also his ex-wife, who shows up on the island with her new husband, Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen), in tow. Can they put aside their differences and get the band back together? And did Herb ever really get over their breakup?

Elements of "Wallis Island" sound like the plot of a horror movie. But that's the furthest thing from director James Griffiths' mind, as he leans into the humanity of his characters and creates a quiet, sweet story that wouldn't feel out of place in the universe of John Carney, the "Once" and "Sing Street" filmmaker who uses music as a means to dial into the soul of his subjects. "Wallis Island" explores themes of creativity, grieving and the passage of time with empathy and compassion without ever becoming maudlin.

Key's Charles is a sensitive, kind man who uses awkward colloquialisms ("wowsers in your trousers!") to compensate for his lack of social graces. At heart, he's just a fan. "The Ballad of Wallis Island" lets viewers live inside his world for a little while, and it's a lovely place to visit.

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'THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND'

Grade: B+

MPA rating: PG-13 (for some language and smoking)

Running time: 1:40

How to watch: Now in theaters

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