Wonka

Image credit: IMDb

Sometimes it’s a real shame when one’s cynicism and basic human need to be stubbornly obtuse gets in the way of good time. But isn’t it better to be late to the party than never go at all? This morning my brain decided that 2 hours before my alarm was the perfect time to wake up so I treated myself to an early morning movie in bed and thank goodness I decided to throw my cynicism about biopics of fictional characters out the window, because I had the most delightful movie experience with Wonka, and was happy for the rest of the day.

Young Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) is fresh off a boat in the big city famous for its chocolate and ready to achieve his dream of starting his own shop. After swiftly losing all his money, he finds himself in debt to a couple of scammers and forced to work in their washhouse in order to pay it off. His dreams of a shop start to become even more unreachable as he soon discovers that the city’s industry is run by a cartel of greedy and ruthless chocolatiers. But with his friends from the washhouse and a hatful of dreams, Willy might just be able to stop their tyranny and share his chocolate with the world.

This movie is a delight! It’s a brightly wrapped return to the whimsy of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory while at the same time playing with some pretty serious themes. It perfectly balances that mixture of wonder and macabre in Roald Dahl’s classic story without teetering dangerously on the edge of overkill.

Timothee Chalamet is wonderful: a starry-eyed child in a man’s body. His interpretation of Wonka is a little closer to Gene Wilder’s immortal rendition, being very down-to-earth and charming. And then you’ll see a spark flash through his eyes, something electric flicker across his face and the quirkiness and showmanship of the character bursts out. While arguably a large portion of the film’s whimsy and delightfulness comes from the absolutely stunning art design, set design, costumes, and special effects, an equally large part of it comes from Chalamet’s performance as he so endearingly acts out a story of a wide-eyed dreamer who refuses to be broken by the awful situations he finds himself in.

Image credit: USA Today

As can be expected with any tale that features a literal candyland, there’s a lot of love and hard work going into the art design, set design, costumes, makeup, and special effects. Between Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, gorgeously choreographed musical numbers, and the eventual world of pure imagination, the film is a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Even the subtle explorations into addiction and the evils of the social hierarchy look good enough to eat.

With a gloriously catchy soundtrack, plenty of comedy, and a dash of drama, Wonka is just an absolute delight! It doesn’t ride on nostalgia, though of course a rendition of ‘Pure Imagination’ is featured, but brings a fresh and endearing take on a classic literary character and delivers a story with a timeless and important message. I absolutely adored it!

Director: Paul King, 2023

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Olivia Coleman, Tom Davis, Calah Lane, Paterson Jospeh, Mathew Baynton, Matt Lucas, Keegan-Michael Key, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, & Rowan Atkinson