There’s not a whole lot wrong with A UNITED KINGDOM, but at the same time there’s also very little to set the world on fire. You can imagine it becoming a firm favourite for cosy Sunday afternoon viewing in years to come. David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike are both charming and the story, of a Botswanan Prince falling for a white Englishwoman during wartime, could be a fascinating one, but I don’t think this is the best version that could be told. I understand why director Amma Asante (an obvious talent) went for the emotional angle, and Seretse and Ruth’s relationship and the many hurdles they overcome are diverting enough, but the diplomatic incident the affair caused could have been explored in more detail and the antagonists made less cartoony. More context for the time, the politics and the world in general to underlying the big emotions on show wouldn’t have gone amiss, either. SSP