“Wonka,” in a nutshell, is the kind of comfort film with hope and optimism we rarely encounter anymore. It’s a prequel of sorts to the original 1971 Gene Wilder-led “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” It picks up with Wonka’s arrival in a town, sporting an array of the world’s most acclaimed chocolatiers, so that he can finally realize his lifelong dream of becoming the best among them.
The vibe is part “Oliver!” (the ’68 musical version) and part the whimsical summer daydreams of “Chocolate Factory.” This film eschews the Tim Burton remake. This is a more psychedelic acid trip experience. It fully focuses Timothée Chalamet‘s boyish charm, doing a careful balancing act between looking at the world through a young person’s hopeful eyes and naïveté.
As one might anticipate, anyone so optimistic about the world is ripe for fleecing, which is how he winds up down on his luck. His optimism in how it will all work out in the end does more often than not work out. He takes to the streets to start attracting customers, which of course earns him the ire of the other chocolatiers, who start leaning on him progressively stronger to run him out of town.
On the musical side of things, the dozen-odd songs are enjoyable, with only a few coming across as overly forced. If there is anything a bit odd, it would be Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa who has been tailing after Wonka ever since Wonka harvested some chocolate beans from a remote tropical island. He’s nowhere near the right size for an Oompa Loompa; no matter which prior film or book might be a reference, he’s far closer to being a slightly tall Smurf (if Smurf’s were orange and apt to break into life-advice songs). But of all of the actors in the film, the audience can’t quite shake the feeling that it’s not an oompa but just ol’ Grant, but orange.
Even with the antagonists hot on Wonka’s tail and ever-upping the stakes on his refusal to cease his entrepreneurial efforts, the film never loses it’s optimistic and whimsical flavor. So many “family-friendly” media offerings in recent years are either too juvenile for the parents to enjoy or to adult for the kids to connect with, but “Wonka” manages to be fun and engaging and suitable for everyone.
The story can be entirely enjoyed without having seen the original film, and it will still make sense. Someone without the benefit of it may find themselves a bit bewildered when the crowd reacts to some of the sound and music cues, but everything is still understandable. Also of deeper interest is that we can see in Chalamet’s performance the origins of what would eventually become the reclusive and embittered older version played by Wilder.
Sporting a fabulous cast in supporting roles, including Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey“), Oscar winner Olivia Colman (“The Crown“) and Rowan Atkinson (“Black Adder“) as a corrupt priest under the thumb of the cartel. As a bonus, how often do you get to see Atkinson with a legion of 400 chocaholic monks behind him?
“Wonka” is now playing at theaters everywhere.
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
