Fictional folk duo McGwyer Mortimer (played by Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan) were big, back in the day – the day in question being circa 2009. But they weren’t that big: not Dylan-big, not even Cat Stevens-big. They graced some NME covers, they played Glastonbury, but even at the height of their success they could definitely pop to the shops without getting mobbed. Still, you’re always Dylan-big to your biggest fans, and Charles (Tim Key) is exactly that. He’s also a reclusive lottery winner, giving him the motive and the means to stage a private reunion gig for an audience of one on a remote island.
Basden and Key starring in a film about a folk band reunion might have you expecting something a little bit sketch comedy, but this turns out to be a different beast: a funny but also melancholy piece of work. It’s more interested in maintaining a consistent and sincere emotional connection than in wild virtuoso showboating.
