Wicker (2026) Review, Parents Guide & Age Rating

Wicker Movie Review Summary

The Fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) strolls through the market with fish scales on her sleeves, and customers step aside. Some close their noses. Others don’t bother to hide their smiles. She’s heard all the jokes about her smell and replies to each one with a line sharper than the knife in her belt. She then strolls to a cottage at the outskirts of town, places a stack of coins in front of the Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage), and asks him to make her a husband. He doesn’t laugh. Why does he agree?

This is a medieval farming village where a woman’s value is determined by her marriage. The Fisherwoman has no marriage and no parents. She’s been alone since she was a child, and she’s toughened up as a result. The man who is called the Basket Weaver is a dry and unhurried man who tells her to come to the chapel in a month. When she gets there, a tall figure made entirely of woven strips of wood is standing at the altar. He is the Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård), and from the moment he looks at her as if she’s worth a look.

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at unfold when a blissful couple settle in a village of unhappy ones. The Fisherwoman is not the type of woman that wears a metal collar, and her husband would never put it on her. The neighbors notice. Everyone around is suffering silently. The Bottlewasher (Gustav Lindh) has come to the conclusion that he is not able to please his wife. The Baker (Ben Ashenden) and his wife (Ella Bruccoleri) desire a child but are not having sex at all. The Tailor’s Wife (Elizabeth Debicki) desires to be treated as an equal partner in her husband’s shop and she is tired of being valued for her looks.

Her husband, the Tailor (Nabhaan Rizwan), doesn’t see the problem. All of them are angry when they see a couple that really like each other. The rumors begin that the Wicker Husband is unfaithful, and the Fisherwoman takes them at their word, and the marriage that seemed so perfect begins to fall apart. Richard E. Grant is a bumbling village doctor and Kiell Smith-Bynoe is a judgmental innkeeper who speaks more with his face than most characters do with their words.

Directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson adapted the film from Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story “The Wicker Husband.” It’s their second feature after “Save Yourselves!”, and it’s a fable with real jokes and a real heart, a genre that studios don’t make much anymore. It’s also close to “The Shape of Water” in its premise: that a lonely woman can fall in love with a man who the world deems impossible. It’s a lot funnier, though, and much more interested in bedroom stuff.

I’ll admit that I was wondering if a gag this large could hold up for 105 minutes. It does, for the most part, as the film is not just about a woman and her wooden husband. It’s about the marriages around them and the way they keep revealing all the other people’s failures. The humor is bawdy and frank. Colman is very good at being laughed at, and laughing first. Skarsgård’s Wicker Husband is convincing, and the chemistry between the two is natural and warm, making their romance believable. The movie does have one major problem: When a man was made to love you, is that love true? It’s a neat answer, and it’s over, but it was a very complicated path that lay there. Not all critics are on board either.

The Houston Chronicle gave it two and a half stars and said the feminist fable is less full-bodied than it would like, in part because the Fisherwoman is subjected to only a few insults. I can hear that grievance, but I still believe that the performances are carrying it.

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The R rating is appropriate once you realize how much of the story relies on sex, and how much the characters talk about it. The bed is the focal point of the story in this comedy about marriage. The MPAA rated it for sexual content, language, and full nudity (brief), and all these are for good reason. I just wish parents who see a fairy tale with Peter Dinklage on the poster would have their expectations lowered. I don’t think this is a family fantasy; it’s a film for grown-ups who enjoy the awkward jokes about sex, so read the breakdown below before you decide.

Directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson. Starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage. Running time: 105 minutes. Theatrical release October 23, 2026. Updated October 24, 2026

Why is Wicker rated R? Wicker is rated R by the MPAA for sexual content, language, and brief full nudity.

Violence: A bloody wound is shown in some detail. There is a violent attack. A wooden figure is set on fire. During the quarrel, one of the characters gets hurt.

Sexual Content: Married couples have sex on screen, there is thrusting and moaning but no nudity in the sex scenes. One scene shows a bed splitting in the middle while the man and woman are having sex, and the Wicker Husband fixing it up afterwards. The Bottlewasher and his wife have a sexual issue and the Baker and his wife don’t have sex. Characters talk openly about erections, genitals and sexual activity. There is a brief moment of full frontal nudity for men, but it is in a non-sexual context and from a distance.

Profanity: There are about 3 dozen profanities, 21 of which are sexual, and most of which are used in a sexual context.

Alcohol/Drug Use: Adult characters drink in many scenes, and some characters appear intoxicated. The village doctor is a drinker. There is no drug use reported.

Conclusion:

“Wicker” is a raunchy fairy tale of a solitary, pungent Fisherwoman who hires a Fisherman of wicker and then sees her joy reveal everyone else’s unhappily married lives. It’s funny and warmly acted by Colman and Skarsgård, and more daring than most romantic comedies, but it avoids its biggest question and some critics feel its feminist message is weak.

The content guide is easy to understand for parents. The R rating applies to sexual content, language and short full nudity. There’s no nudity in the sex scenes, but there are a lot of them, and they’re loud. You can look forward to approximately 30 curse words, 21 of which are sexual, and some crass body language. Violence is limited to a bloody wound, an attack, and a fire. Drinking is common and sometimes leads to drunkenness. Not a kid or teen movie; parents of older teens might want to check it out first.

I would say that it’s an adult comedy. Give it a try if you enjoyed the spirit of “The Princess Bride” but wanted it to have some edge. If you are looking for something to share with younger children, pass it by. If you’re considering taking a teenager, watch it first, and then base your decision on the sex talk, not the wicker.

References Sources

• Parent Previews: Wicker content guide
• Houston Chronicle: Wicker review
• BFI London Film Festival: Wicker listing