Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of October 26, 2026
Wicker
Rated R for sexual content, language and brief full nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
In Theaters
This adult fairy tale tells the story of a fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) in a small village by the sea. Every day she catches fish and then sells them to the villagers while she is ridiculed for the odor of her trade and her loneliness, since she hasn’t taken a husband. Then she gets a bright idea and pays the local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to make a husband for her. His creativity and artistry come up with a beautiful and sweet man made of wicker (Alexander Skarsgård) who has been put on Earth to make her happy. But this sets off a wave of anger and jealousy from the townspeople who do not think she deserves this gift, and they begin to covet a creation of their own. Not since 2000’s culinary creation Chocolat have we seen such an adult-focused fairytale to sink our teeth into. Here, writer/director team Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson create a lovely little story, very specifically designed for an adult audience. In this case, the relationship, and the overall story arch, is based on sexual loneliness. The new wicker husband meets the needs of the fisherwoman that she didn’t even know she had. And then he fixes the roof. He is the perfect man. Every woman in the village is jealous of her, and every man has now seen his shortcomings. Most of this is done in a very comical way with some very big laughs and even some uncomfortable smaller ones. This is a dark comedy for sure, and the tone does change, as you’d expect, but it never loses its heart, and it manages to capture your imagination throughout. If you can avoid seeing the trailer beforehand, I would advise it. You will pretty much know the entire story from the two-minute preview. The story remains pretty simple and highly dependent on the premise. But the performances are extremely enjoyable, and the movie is terrific for a date night, as long as your date has a slightly adventurous sense of wonder and humor. B+