‘Wonka’ tells a charming story, but lacks depth
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Origin stories about classic childhood characters are typically unnecessary. Do we really need to find out why Cruella de Vil hates Dalmatians? I don’t think so.
While Paul King’s musical fantasy film “Wonka” does fall into this category by telling the story of how the titular Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) became the greatest chocolate maker in the world, it more than makes up for all of the cliches by being a charming, if hollow, cinematic experience.
The plot is quite familiar to many other origin stories. A dream-filled Willy comes to the Galeries Gourmet to establish his chocolate shop but faces stiff opposition from the Chocolate Cartel (Paterson Joseph, Mathew Baynton, Matt Lucas) as well as a corrupt and chocolate-addicted police chief (Keegan-Michael Key). Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and her henchman Bleacher (Tom Davis) then imprison Wonka.
Any viewer could see the ending coming, but King has a keen ability to bring a smile to any viewer’s face no matter how predictable the plot is. He also adds a sense of poignancy to Wonka by showing him making chocolate with his late mother (Sally Hawkins).
King uses his experience as the director of the first two “Paddington” movies to find the perfect blend of whimsical and weird fit for the character of Willy Wonka. King holds a natural ability to make the most bizarre circumstances seem fun, such as a scene with Willy happily milking a giraffe to make a specific chocolate.
King also uses visual aspects from the 1971 classic like the look of the Oompa Loompas. The choice is in stark contrast to Tim Burton’s freaky and bland 2005 adaption of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” starring Johnny Depp which purposely moved away from the colorful world of the original Willy Wonka.
One Oompa Loompa named Lofty, played brilliantly and effortlessly by the suave Hugh Grant, antagonizes Wonka throughout the film because the chocolate maker stole cocoa beans from the Oompa Loompas, adding even more charm to the film’s world.
But the director can only succeed if he has a star up for the gleeful challenge. And Chalamet, for the most part, meets it.
Chalamet made his bones by playing mopey or emotional teenage heartthrobs in films like “Call Me By Your Name,” “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.” But with “Wonka,” Chalamet displayed the theater kid that was in him all along.
He joyfully sings and dances through most musical numbers. For a jaunty musical about Willy Wonka to work, you need buy-in from the lead star and Chalamet gives that, though he seems more comfortable playing the brooding-type.
Still, Chalamet’s character creates a sense of joy for those around him, especially his assistant Noodles (Calah Lane), an orphan. We first meet her as another downtrodden prisoner of Mrs. Scrubbit before she becomes swallowed up by Wonka’s infectious energy.
But Wonka eventually gives her the strength to find her mother, which connects to the main story in a way that feels forced. While it may seem like a directorial strength to give the background character some deeper backstory and a happy ending (every character gets one, aside from the clear antagonists of the story, including one-off prison guard characters), this feels mostly obligatory.
What oddly comes up short is the political undertones of Wonka’s shop. Through all the bright colors and fun musical numbers, King and co-screenwriter Simon Farnaby hint at how the establishment — made up of the Chocolate Cartel businesses, the police and the local clergy — suppress the working class from having the best chocolate possible. Everyone is in cahoots to create a mediocre chocolate, which ends up being the only game in town.
To further hammer home the point, the secret vault where the Chocolate Cartel stashes all the chocolate is literally connected to a church that a chocolate-greedy priest (Rowan Atkinson) guards.
But there is no real examination of this society or questions about how Wonka ends up becoming the only chocolate business in the land. Maybe we’re supposed to believe that Wonka will share his chocolate with everyone. But if this is supposed to be a prequel and companion piece to the 1971 film like King has said, we know that this ends up not being the case.
Of course, it is silly to delve into socialist undertones in a musical meant for children. So the best course of action is to just sit back and enjoy the ride as Chalamet brings down the chocolate-making establishment.
