Wicker First Reviews: Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård Shine In A Quirky, Sexy Romance
Critics say the leads bring star performances to a delightfully raunchy rom-com, though the script wears thin at points.
Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård star in Wicker, the romantasy comedy based on Ursula Wills-Jones’s 2008 short story “The Wicker Husband.” First reviews are now available; while Colman and Skarsgård’s performances and tender relationship are standouts, the 105-minute movie suffers from slight pacing and script issues.
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Here’s what critics are saying about Wicker.
How are Colman and Skarsgård?
She’s fiery and headstrong when confronted by those who ridicule her, but Colman also brings vulnerability to the quieter moments when her tough exterior begins to crack…
Finding humanity in a character made entirely out of wicker is no easy task, but Skarsgård somehow pulls it off. His performance is full of charm, wit and an endearing innocence that makes the Wicker Husband strangely lovable rather than a walking punchline.
– Liselotte Vanophem, Geek Vibes Nation
[Colman] is so good that she single-handedly elevates this “quirky medieval romp” into unexpected, even undeserved, places.
– Kevin Maher, The Times (UK)
As for Alexander Skarsgård as the wicker man himself, he melts in the role. It is incredible that this creature made of basket weaving materials is this beautiful sentient being with a broad range of emotions. But his emotions are those of love and compassion.
– Jamie Broadnax, Black Girl NerdsColman is an actress who exudes an innate sense of intelligence.
– Christopher Lloyd, Film YapSkarsgård expresses as much through his eyes as his hesitant speech, his sex appeal even encased in wicker as undeniable as his and Coleman’s mutual attraction.
– Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Are there any other standout performances?
[Peter] Dinklage is eccentric, but only to the point that he matches the absurdity of everything else around him and only in a way to further establish the parallel universe this movie unfolds in.
– Patrick Cavanaugh, The Wolfman ComethElizabeth Debicki makes cruelty and petty jealousy an art form, leading to some of the darker moments in the film, but also some of the funniest. It’s one of her best performances yet.
– Joey Magidson, Awards RadarRichard E. Grant has a brief but hilarious turn as the village’s doctor.
– Molly Freeman, MovieWeb
How’s the romance?
At its core, Wicker’s central romance, buoyed by Colman and Skarsgård, is irresistible.
– William Stottor, Loud and Clear Reviews
It’s romantic and sensual, sexy and sometimes funny, often poetic and even achingly lovely. It’s a parable about love and marriage, lust, desire and jealousy, outcasts and insiders.
– Neil Pond, Neil’s Entertainment Picks
The love story of the Fisherwoman and her Wicker husband is exquisitely tender and frightfully fragile.
– Sherin Nicole, Geek Girl Riot / RIOTUS
But is it horny?
Yes, it’s horny: unabashedly, hilariously so. But it’s far less concerned with the getting-it-on as it is with the wrecking ball of sexual frustration it unleashes on one village — and it’s a much smarter, richer film because of it.
– Lyvie Scott, Inverse
If you’ve ever had impure thoughts about a basket – or simply wanted to date a man who asks you questions about your life – then the wonderful Wicker should get you all hot and bothered.
– Leonie Cooper, Time Out
The jokes are sharp, the sexual innuendo delightfully shameless, and the underlying observations about marriage, jealousy, and desire surprisingly perceptive.
– Frank Wilkins, Reel Reviews
How’s the script?
[Wills-Jones] only claimed 14 pages to explore her story, leaving writer/directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson (“Save Yourselves!”) with a substantial creative challenge as they attempt to fill over 100 minutes of movie. Stretchmarks are visible on the screenwriting, which endeavors to do some world-building while adding a number of supporting characters to help extend the effort.
– Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com
The narrative drags and circles around variations of the same old joke without adding much to it. What accumulates instead is a string of clever one-liners. Beneath the wicker and straw, the film is missing something essential, a beating heart.
– Wael Khairy, Scene NowThe screenplay balances fun with a deeper look at gender dynamics and social progress.
– Carson Timar, Buttered Popcorn
Do any other aspects of the production stand out?
…A jestful score, and lively costume and production design that combine for simple yet refined period recreations.
– Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com
Skarsgard’s character is a triumph of practical effects from Joe Dunckley and WETA Workshop, with his expressive eyes and beard along with an intricately woven face…The subtle but consistent sound design from Andy Neil makes him creak like an old rocking chair, and adds both depth and vulnerability.
– Amber Wilkinson, Screen International
The craft of this little gem is exquisite including Lol Crawley’s gorgeous cinematography, Renato Cseh’s lovely production design that makes all this look like it was plucked right out of a Grimms’ Fairy Tale, and both the makeup and visual effects (Weta Workshop) teams which make wicker come wickedly to life in ways never before thought possible.
– Pete Hammond, Deadline
Will it remind you of anything else?
Like a hornier Princess Bride (“As you wish” becomes “As you wood”), this is a sweet and silly fantasy world worth a good bonk or two.
– Jason Adams, Pajiba
In some ways reminiscent of ‘Edward Scissorhands,’ another story of an artificial being who demonstrates more soul than the humans around him, ‘Wicker’ follows some of the traditional beats of a romantic comedy wrapped in a fantasy.
– Don Kaye, Moviefone
[Skarsgård is] handsome, sexy, and regal, in a Beauty and the Beast kind of way.
– Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics
