Director: Paul King
Writers: Simon Farnaby, Paul King, and Roald Dahl
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman
Synopsis: With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, a young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers.
The new Wonka film is designed to be family-friendly viewing. To that point, the prequel to the beloved children’s classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, succeeds beautifully on that level and then some. Director Paul King captures the overall mischievous nature of the iconic character in a film that is nearly perfect for family holiday viewing in part because the film never takes itself too seriously. So, while this translation may (albeit intentionally) lose that dark, sardonic humor and cynicism diehard Dahl-heads may love, King and company create a touch of madcap movie magic that makes Wonka the near-perfect big-budget holiday viewing for the entire family.
Written by Paul King and Paddington 2 collaborator Simon Farnaby, this Wonka prequel follows the titular character as he arrives in town, waiting to distribute his delicious confections to the world and looking to settle in the chocolatier district of 1930s London. When he arrives, the innocent Wonka (a wonderful Timothée Chalamet) begins a festive song and dances through the cold nighttime streets, giving away all his money to those who need it most. Wonka, about to spend the night freezing on a cold, hard park bench, is approached by a shadowy figure named Bleacher (Tom Davis), who offers him shelter.
Wonka follows and is given a warm bed by Mrs. Scrubbit (a menacingly funny Olivia Colman). So, what’s the catch? She asks Wonka to sign the contract while encouraging him to ignore the fine print. Even when a local neighborhood child, Noodle (Calah Lane), who works there, tries to warn him, he signs his life away. It turns out Noodle is Mrs. Scrubbit’s and Bleacher’s property. The duo preys on unsuspecting visitors, and they sign into indentured servitude. Along with Abacus (Jim Carter), Piper (Natasha Rothwell), Rottie (Rakhee Thakrar), and Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher), they are locked in the bottom of the inn’s basement, scrubbing the days away.
However, they have no fear. With the help of Noodle and her friends, combined with Wonka’s precocious nature, they sneak out of the grounds to help build Wonka’s business. That’s until big business does what corporate fat cats do. Led by Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton), and Prodnose (Matt Lucas), they work together to sabotage Wonka’s efforts in small business, watering down their product (quite literally) and paying off local political figures to keep their pretty standard treats in the mouths of the community they serve. Frankly, it’s the same plot lifted from David Simon’s The Wire, where Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell sell inferior products under various labels to control the space, but this is Warner Brothers going for congenial Disney fare, so I digress.
From there, Wonka can be a silly but often charming viewing experience that’s too much goddamn fun to ignore. While anyone can appreciate Timothée Chalamet’s lovely magnetic quickness that he brings to the Willy Wonka role, establishing and spreading a consistent tone throughout the picture, the supporting characters truly shine in King’s film. For one, Keegan-Michael Key is hilarious as a Chief of Police addicted to the chocolate fix the sugar-fat cats have him hooked on as he addresses their needs with amusing intimidation and unlawful arrests.
However, it’s the delightful Hugh Grant, the Wonka world’s first Oompa-Loompa. This is where you may get some of that quintessential Dahl-biting humor. Grant’s delivery (and his silence) is perfection. He steals every scene he’s in. The famous onset (or off) prickly and posh performer has found quite the niche with comic-supporting turns in the likes of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. As the young kids say, Grant slays in the role. In other words, he’s funny as hell, and a prequel to his character must be considered.
Neil Hannon and Joby Talbot wrote the music for Wonka, and some beautiful song and dance numbers are tremendous, enchanting fun that bring some unexpected poignant heart. The signature show stopper is Chalamet’s lovely rendition of the Gene Wilder classic, “Pure Imagination.” That’s the genius of assigning the Paddington 2 team to helm the new Wonka franchise. At the same time, the film will have its cynical detractors, which is fine. But those musical numbers in the movie have much more heart than expected. Along with Wonka’s backstory, covering the time with his mother (played by Sally Hawkins) has some heavy melancholy notes, sprinkling the film with some depth when needed. The final product is a whimsical and addictive family film. While you may argue some of the guts have been ripped out of the source material (it would be unfair to compare this to the original), Wonka is a delightful, fizzy, and delectable treat. While the filmmakers may lay it on delectably thick, including the film’s laden special effects and a third act that can border on saccharine, Wonka’s modern spin could potentially be a new holiday classic for mainstream movie fans. It should have long legs for years to come.
