The beloved characters created by Beatrix Potter in her series of children’s books stray even further from their amiable roots.

What films like this need to do instead is construct steel-man arguments for both sides. Make the opponent's argument a fortress. Let us see the handiwork of both sides and judge accordingly.

Pleasantly silly escapist fun.

Using Coward’s basic setup as no more than a springboard, the trio of script collaborators ill-advisedly substitute their merely serviceable dialogue for his sparkling exchanges and displace his urbane wit in favor of broad physical humor.

One might call this a sobering film that should resonate not just in Denmark but around the world, especially in those places with alcohol problems, and especially with male audiences.

Perhaps it’s my background as a little girl who didn’t discover her inner strength until far too late in life that helped me fall absolutely head over heels in love with it.

The strength of the film is very much in the performance of Zengel. The young actress was acclaimed at Berlin for her performance as a wilful young girl in ‘System Crasher’. Here she is able to hold her own with Tom Hanks – an indication of a successful future career.

Before each game, Selvig would reputedly drive up into the hills, listening to opera in his car to relax. Yet as soon as the first ball went up, he became, by his own description, “psycho coach.”

In many ways it is fey. In many ways it is twee. So, the genial frame of mind and mood for this visit to County Mayo requires a blend of fey and twee, with more than a touch of tolerance.

The result is a poignant drama pervaded by a sense of loneliness, with Frances McDormand in a bravura performance.

It's not an angle normally seen in basketball films, but for Selvig, recruiting from reservations was a no-brainer.