MPAA Rating: PG/Genre: Musical Fantasy/Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Tom Davis, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Simon Farnaby, Charlotte Ritchie, Ellie White, Sophie Winkleman, Murray McArthur, Tracy Ifeachor, Isy Suttie, Phil Wang, Tim FitzHigham, Colin O’Brien/Runtime: 116 minutes
I don’t know if it’s a generational thing, a me thing, or even the remote possibility of an in between-style thing, but I have always had a wee bit of a soft spot for the 1971 cinematic adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Sure, all the kids are a wee bit on the bratty side, sure 99% of the adults aren’t any better (I’m looking at you Grandpa Joe), sure the logic in this universe doesn’t make a lot of sense, and sure the first half can be quite the slog to get through for the most part. With that in mind however, Gene Wilder is brilliantly passive aggressive as Wonka, the musical number Cheer Up Charlie is INFINITELY better with the jazz score from Taxi Driver (don’t believe me try it for yourself), the Oompa-Loompas are delightful trolls, the rest of the songs are catchy as heck, and the 2nd half plays like the most underrated kids’ slasher film you’ve ever seen. Indeed, it is perhaps because of this fondness for that film that I found myself really approaching the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, the newish release Wonka, with more than just a teeny tiny degree of trepidation. No, it wasn’t because I didn’t have faith in this film’s director, one Paul King. After all, this IS the man who gave the world the first 2 Paddington movies which I *inexplicably* found myself adoring a great deal. Nor for that matter did it have anything to do with the cast of players in front of the camera since not only was the support cast made up of quite a few undeniably talented people, but this slice of cinema’s lead actor, one Timothee Chalamet, has already proven to be quite the talent in his own right. Rather, I guess the reason for my trepidation about the film as a whole dear reader was mainly because I did not see such a project as this really being all that necessary. Not just in terms of story though that definitely did play a part, but in terms of its content. You see dear reader I am someone who has no shame in admitting that he is a proud and true member of The Cynical Individuals Guild or cynics for short. What this means, besides getting a fancily laminated new membership card in the mail every 3-4 months, is that whenever a slice of cinema claims to be as sentimental, heartwarming, good-natured, or all of the above as this one did, comes to theaters I am “duty-bound” to be just a wee bit suspicious toward the film in question. Fortunately for this cynic, I can now safely and happily tell you that my suspicions towards the merit of this film are, by and large, unfounded. I say that because whilst this slice of cinema is far from perfect, there is also no denying that with the aid of delightful and (dare I say) maybe even a tiny bit magical work on both sides of the camera, Wonka “2023” proves to be as satisfying as a Scrumdiddlyumptious Bar even if it doesn’t quite have the staying power of an Everlasting Gobstopper.
The plot is as follows: Operating as a prequel to the 1971 take on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and just pushing the 2005 one to the corner in nearly every possible way, Wonka “2023” gets its delectable narrative underway by introducing to a young man by the name of (what else) Willy Wonka. A young man who, among other noteworthy attributes, is an ambitious innovator, magician, and semi-skilled member of the distinct group known as candy makers. He is also someone who, in a drastic 180 from how we will eventually see him portrayed, a well-meaning, decent, warmhearted, and bit on the naïve side individual. It is that naivety incidentally that is what lands our intrepid candy man in a spot of trouble upon his arrival in Europe to establish his own candy store at the Galeries Gourmet. Not just because this spot is already “owned” so to speak by a nefariously crooked trinity of fellow albeit more experienced candy makers known as the Chocolate Cartel that also have, among the people at their beck and call, the local clergy and chief of police in their back pocket (hopefully not next to a melted chocolate bar; that could be quite messy). Rather, it is also because our intrepid hero, for all of his talents, really isn’t the best when it comes to financial management. As a result, we see that our hero is coerced into staying at a boarding house in town only to realize too late that his renter’s agreement had some fine print he really ought to have looked over a bit better. Yet even though we see Wonka is put to work at a launderette so he can pay his rather exorbitantly high rent, it is also here where we see him meet a group of five other people including an orphan by the name of Noodle. A group that not only become dear friends to our confectioner genius in the making, but also inspire him to keep making his chocolates in order to help them all pay off their debts and get a chance to live life on their terms for a change. Thus can our intrepid albeit slightly nutty hero, with the aid of his new-found group of friends plus a rather curious fellow by the name of Lofty, show everyone that he has what it takes to fulfill his dream of making the best chocolate in the world or will the Chocolate Cartel and their respective associates and their seriously bitter truffle-fueled antics wind up melting our hero’s sweet dreams away before they even have a chance to make a delicious impact on everyone else’s lives? That I shall leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader….
Now right off, it should be said that the work done behind the camera on this cinematic journey into pure imagination is a heck of a lot better than you might have been thinking it would be. This starts with the work done by this slice of cinema’s crew in regard to the collection of musical numbers sprinkled throughout the film’s 116-minute, including credits, runtime. Oh yes I guess I forgot to mention: this film is a musical. As in the kind of musical that would be if Wonka had been made into a Broadway production before going back to being a film musical. Yet lest you start to remember certain ghosts that still haunt that distinct subgenre of movie magic (2019’s Cats anyone?) I can thankfully put your mind at ease and let you know that this is no Cats. In fact, whereas Cats was odd and…just odd honestly, this one does a grand job of managing to balance out the odd on display (I mean I could be wrong, but I don’t think Chocolate Cartels are an actual thing….yet) with a delightful helping of both heart and charm in equal measure. Yet besides the songs that fans of the original will undoubtedly pick up on and smile when they hear them in this, we also see that this slice of cinema has a whole catalogue of new tunes at its disposal too. Indeed I can safely say that this is one film’s soundtrack that is not only a wonderful blend of fun yet also moving, but is one that I would not be surprised to see kids and parents play on repeat in the car for the next few months if not longer. Alongside that, it should also be said that the work that was done by King to ensure his pair of Paddington movies were as magical as they were is definitely alive and well here too. Indeed not only does King’s very distinct visual flair beautifully synch up with the source material this film is operating off of, but the color scheme is a wonderful blend of energetic as well as enticing to boot. We also see that this slice of cinema is the blessed recipient of stunning and quite stylish work from the production design team as headed by Nathan Crowley. I mean not only is it clear that Crowley and his team are having an absolute blast in creating the world of the film, but they also have no qualms at making it one that is less like the “real world” and more one that is in synch with something you might see in an extremely zany and over the top cartoon. Finally, I definitely feel that this slice of cinema would not be complete if it wasn’t for the wonderful work done by Linda Hemmings and the costume department. Yes, Willy gets his distinct purple attire, but we also see that Hemmings ensures that all of the other characters in the cast right down to the sinister choco-cabal have threads that help to distinguish them just as much as the performances given by the talent in those respective roles. Suffice it to say that the work done behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing really is no more or less than stunning in every sense of the word and proves to be just as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the heart and soul as well.
Of course, the other element that definitely helps this film work on the level that it is ultimately able to comes in the form of the immensely talented cast of players in front of the camera as well. Without question this starts with Timothee Chalamet and honestly there is no denying that he does do a really good job at being engaging, charming, and even heartfelt in equal measure. Indeed not only does he look and give off the vibe that he is having the time of his life as this iconic literary figure, but he also does a great job at really channeling to a degree what Wilder brought to the role as well right down to certain quirks and mannerisms that fans of the original might find lovingly familiar. Suffice it to say that Chalamet is easily one of the most remarkable talents of the generation he is a part of and his work in this slice of cinema is very much proof of that if not so much more. Now besides the electric work done here by Chalamet, we see that this slice of cinema backs him up more than admirably with a potent support cast that all, no matter how big or small their role may be, are very much aware of the kind of film that they are in and all turn in fairly solid work even if some seem a bit more comfortable with the material than others. One of those is absolutely having a blast with the material is Olivia Colman who, in her role of Mrs. Scrubbit, really takes the concept of “scenery chewing” to new and quite remarkable heights. The same also certainly applies to Patterson Joseph who, in a remarkable turn as Wonka’s main foe Arthur Slugworth, does a phenomenal job at taking his character’s various idiosyncrasies to the extent of being completely over the top and is able to terrifically tip toe that distinct line without ever once crossing over. Along with those two however, the film also gives us a delightfully comedic turn from the always hilarious Keegan-Michael Key as the town’s crooked chief of police. Yes, there are distinct elements to this character that might at best raise an eyebrow and at worst ruffle a few feathers. Even so though, there is no denying that Key does a fantastic job at playing this blundering idiot from the Inspector Clouseau School of Policing in a way that would make even Peter Sellers proud. We also get a delightful turn here from Calah Lane in the role of Wonka’s quasi-sorta sidekick/protégé Noodle even if there are moments where either the character comes off as a bit too precocious or her importance to the narrative does seem a bit in question. With all of that in mind, I think this is the moment where I should take some time to talk about the more than slightly annoyed teeny tiny orange man in this film. That being none other than the iconic Hugh Grant, decked out in CGI from head to toe, as the OG Oompa-Loompa or as he likes to be called Lofty. Indeed he might not be in the film as much as you may think and the CGI might be a bit off-putting for some, but there is no denying that Grant (in that wonderful curmudgeon way of his) plays this character with a delightful mix of arrogant, smug, comedic, and even movingly sincere at certain points. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate into this distinct blend wonderful efforts from such talents as Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Charlotte Ritchie, and (in a poignant support turn) Sally Hawkins among others it’s clear that this film might have a few hiccups, but by and large the work done by the cast is not one of them.
All in all is the 2023 Wonka a perfect slice of cinematic confection? As unexpectedly delightful as that would have been, I am afraid that is sadly not the case with this particular film. With that being said however, does that make this the worst slice of cinema since lead actor Timothée Chalamet thought that being in the 2015 holiday “comedy” Love the Coopers was a stepping stone to the kind of career he always wanted? No, but given how few missteps the guy has made his career I am definitely willing to overlook that one. All jokes aside dear reader, there is no denying that for the flaws that this slice of cinema has to say nothing of my own inner and external degrees of apprehension at how this whole thing was going to play out, I did walk out not only smiling, but feeling very satisfied with the final product on display here. Indeed one area where a lot of films slapped with the infamous “prequel” label at best don’t work as well as it ought to or at worst give off the vibe of being something that was only conjured up to cash in on a fairly timeless and/or beloved property this film is by no means content with giving us that. As a result, we see that we are given a take on this iconic character that, in many yet not all respects, is a vastly distinct individual from the reclusive, cynical, delightfully passive-aggressive, and just the right hint of ominous version of the character that Gene Wilder gave audiences all the way back in 1971. At the same time though, we see that by not being tied down in the way that prequels in say the Star Wars franchise found themselves being this slice of cinema is able to delightfully present us with a narrative all its own. A narrative that, it should be said, is most assuredly respectful of the original all while vehemently refusing to completely and utterly be beholden to it. Suffice it to say then that, with the aid of beautifully rendered and lovingly done work on both sides of the camera, Wonka “2023” is more than just a movie that will ensure you are smiling by the end to say nothing of one that you and your little Oompa-Loompas (or kids as I have been told they like to be called now) are sure to love time and time again. Rather, it is also proof that with the right amounts of imagination, heart, passion, and creativity respectively that an iconic character such as this one can be presented to audiences in a way that we might never have expected, but is nevertheless a way that is well worth it indeed. Make of that what thou will and Oompa-Loompa dooopy doo! On a scale of 1-5 I give Wonka “2023” a solid 4 out of 5.
