Wonka may be more Paul King than Roald Dahl—it bears the clever kindness of Paddington and Paddington 2 far more than the clever cynicism of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory author—but a worse fate could have befallen the iconic title character. Set years before he would become a candy magnate, King’s film introduces the young Willy Wonka as a cheerful believer in the goodness of others and the power of his magic-infused recipes to bring out that quality. He’s disabused of such notions, however, when he’s tricked into indentured servitude by a devious landlady (Olivia Colman) and runs up against a powerful cabal of chocolate manufacturers. The performances are deliciously cranked up to 11, the original musical numbers are pleasantly pitched a level or two below Broadway belting, and the effects and production design are as creatively sumptuous as anything in the Paddington films (Willy’s candy-factory valise is a wonder to behold). As for Timothee Chalamet in the title role, he fares better when calling upon the gentle spirit of Paddington Bear than when trying to evoke the mad genius of Gene Wilder’s Wonka in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. (It’s hard to imagine this kind, young gentleman ever growing up to become the devious tease of that great film.) If I haven’t mentioned Hugh Grant’s miniaturized Oompa-Loompa yet, it’s only because it will likely take years—and perhaps some therapy—to help me process my feelings about it.
(12/26/2023)
