Wild Rose

The film itself makes for a marvelous evening, a tribute to great performers, to humble beginnings, to home, and to the power of a well-crafted story, poured through a generational talent.

Wild Rose is never particularly surprising, but it's a familiar story renewed in a satisfyingly female-focused way.

The movie is like an old honky-tonk song, a little sentimental but full of heart. It torches and twangs without getting too hokey.

"Wild Rose" is singing a different tune. Just don't be surprised when it winds up getting stuck in your head.

Wild Rose is just plain lovely.

...perhaps a little too tidily by the end, Wild Rose nonetheless feels authentic.

Rising star Jessie Buckley shines as Rose-Lynn, an ex-con and wannabe country star from Glasgow, in this affecting British film that's definitely a bit grittier than A Star Is Born.

The balance between crowd-pleaser and cliché is a fine one, but Wild Rose manages the former while also delivering a timely message from a voice we desperately needed to hear.

[If you're] a fan of country music, a fan of Julie Walters, wish to see a big career-making performance from Buckley or simply enjoy solid British films, then it is certainly worth your while.

I firmly believe there's something rather magical about a British feelgood story. The evidence for this theory? This corker of a movie.