Wild Mountain Thyme Parent Guide

Romantic dramas need to do two things: they need to tug at your heart and they need to provide a compelling story. Wild Mountain Thyme fails on both counts.

What does this movie do wrong? First, the plot meanders about with poor pacing and even less sense before coming to a plot twist that’s so ludicrous I can’t for the life of me figure out how any studio greenlit this project. Second, the characters behave in ways that are so illogical and often counter-productive that it’s nearly impossible to have any sympathy for their predicaments. Even the movie’s high-powered cast isn’t enough to save the film – proof yet again that A-list actors can’t compensate for a bottom tier script.

Despite the movie’s multitudinous flaws, the cast gamely do their best. Christopher Walken owns the film with his portrayal of a cantankerous Irish farmer who struggles to understand his son, Anthony (Jamie Dornan). As Walken’s character debates whether to leave the farm to his son, the issue gets tangled up with a land dispute involving the neighboring farm, whose owner, Rosemary (Emily Blunt) has adored Anthony since they were both children. Into this tangle of love, inheritance, and land comes Anthony’s American cousin, Adam (Jon Hamm), who is considering purchasing the farm. When he meets Rosemary, the plot thickens….

This storyline doesn’t indicate breakout cinema, but it could have spawned a decent film. Instead it’s stuffed full of pretentious, stilted dialogue and bad Irish accents. The only highlight of the movie is the locations: Ireland stars here, in all its lush, green glory. Locked down in a bleak prairie winter, all I can do is sigh with envy as I gaze at the Irish landscapes that roll across the screen. It won’t be a surprise if this film puts Ireland on many viewers’ bucket lists.

Despite its beauty, the movie carries some less-than-lovely content. There are frequent scenes of a main character smoking and an episode where another gets drunk. There is some sexual innuendo as well as discussion of past suicides and current suicidal feelings. Luckily, the movie also comes with strong themes of forgiveness and the power of family ties.

This production is best described in a conversation Adam has with Rosemary. As he tries to decode the incomprehensible behavior of the people in the area, he says, “I don’t understand you people. You just seem to accept these crazy things.” Unless you’re prepared to swallow a whole lot of unexplained crazy, Wild Mountain Thyme is simply a waste of your time.