Wonka, despite its new-school fantasy-franchise trappings, has a message much like that of its source material, Roald Dahl’s famously dyspeptic 1964 children’s novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But instead of focusing on reforming the behavior of poorly raised children, this prequel takes a larger anti-capitalist approach while managing to be brighter and more fun than previous adaptations. Balancing its musical-comedy aspect with a refreshingly sharp script, Wonka instills hope that corruption can be dismantled with solidarity, and maybe a song or two.
Apart from themes of persistence and community, Wonka is also a story of humble beginnings. Young Willy Wonka (Timotheé Chalamet) as portrayed by writers Paul King (who also directs) and Simon Farnaby, is far from the eccentric, kindly moralizing tycoon of Dahl’s creation. In this time before Charlie, chocolate is treated as both currency and contraband. Wonka arrives at the chocolate capital of the world with an unwavering hope, and despite facing the harsh realities of corporate rapacity, remains determined to realize his aspirations of candy-making entrepreneurship. The tone of opening number “A Hatful of Dreams” sets the pace for the rest of the film, as it stays consistently wholesome while maintaining some self-referentiality about its own whimsical nature.
Chalamet gives a charming performance, capturing the fledgling optimism of a boyish genius and wisely avoiding the world-weary edges of earlier iterations of the character. Calah Lane as Noodle, a fellow resident of the big-city boarding house where Wonka resides, has a strong rapport with Chalamet, and the chemistry between the two characters, both orphaned in childhood, provides the film with a credible emotional center. Where Willy supplies the film’s humor, Noodle is the film’s heart. Keegan-Michael Key also stands out as a corrupt police officer who assists the shady chocolate cartel that controls the industry (although the fat suit he wears after his character overdoes it on the candy quickly grows stale.) Helping Willy in his crusade against the candy monopolists and their enablers is a cheekily determined ensemble of working-class misfits, who, despite being forced into labor by a cruel landlord, Mrs. Scrubbit (a gleefully malevolent Olivia Colman), retain an innate, enjoyable playfulness that ultimately helps them triumph over the exploiters.
Each character uses their individual skills to help the group as the plot progresses. Even their names refer to their skills in the most adorable way; Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher) is a struggling comedian, and Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter) is a former accountant. There’s a certain satisfaction in watching a plan come together, and though Willy’s confederates are more stereotype than human, they each have their own nuanced contribution to make to the cause, and it’s a pleasure to watch them find themselves while foiling the forces of greed and helping Willy achieve his rightful destiny.
When Wonka begins to stray from its extravagant exuberance, it remains grounded in the determination of its protagonist. The sets, costumes and performances are vibrant but not uncanny, and most importantly, there is a balance between whimsy and substance that allows the film’s sociopolitical themes to reach the audience with just a spoonful of sugar – or a chocolate egg, in this case.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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