“Wonka” is at its best when it comes across as gauzy, whimsical fun.
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December 15, 2023, 4:21 a.m. ET
• 6 min reading
I hold this truth to be self-evident: No one will ever play the bright comic exterior and dark soul of Willy Wonka like Gene Wilder. So what should we make of “Wonka,” the prequel to Wilder’s 1971 “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” now in theaters starring Timothée Chalamet?
The good news is that Chalamet, who was just nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, is a pleasant surprise as he finds the sweet nature of the young magician and chocolate maker. Darkness? Not as much. But Chalamet uses his thin but expressive voice to drown out new songs by Neil Hannon, frontman of British pop band The Divine Comedy.
Hannon can't keep up with the delicious hits like “The Candy Man” that Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse composed for the Wilder film. I'm afraid including a repeat of their dreamy “Pure Imagination” is a bad move, as borrowed inspiration only underlines what is uninspired this time.
Timothee Chalamet, as Willy Wonka, in a scene from “Wonka.” Warner Bros. Pictures
Still, it's the holidays, and audiences will likely enjoy this origin story from Paul King, the director who made two “Paddington” films that are still the benchmark for wicked, funny family fun. “Wonka” isn’t on that level, but it’s hard to resist its rollicking high spirits.
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Nearly 20 years ago, Johnny Depp played Wonka for director Tim Burton as a sort of ghostly Michael Jackson trying to capture the spooky twists and turns in Roald Dahl's 1964 novel. Far from the tormented hermit Dahl created, Chalamet's Wonka is relatively carefree, save for his grief for his late mother, played in flashbacks by the reliably great Sally Hawkins.
We meet Wonka, who has returned from the seven seas to move to a town that closely resembles the Cockney accent. His goal is to open a candy shop using the magical ingredients hidden in his hat full of dreams. One bite and you'll literally be flying.
Wonka gets into trouble with the candy cartel, run by a trio of chocolatiers – Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton) – who don't want competition, especially from a rival who wants to sell You its goodies at affordable prices. Yikes!
Timothee Chalamet, as Willy Wonka, in a scene from “Wonka.” Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Bros. Pictures
A corrupt police chief (Keegan-Michael Key) tricks Wonka into servitude in an underground laundry run by the devious Mrs. Scrubbit (Oscar winner Olivia Colman goes hilarious) and her henchman Bleacher (Tom Davis). heard. The inmates include former accountant Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter), telephone operator Lottie Bell (Rakhee Thakrar), plumber Piper Benz (Natasha Rothwell) and comedian Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher).
Too many characters? It's a pile-up. Tip: Just keep an eye on young Noodle (newcomer Calah Lane is adorable), a fellow victim of Mrs. Scrubbit, who teams up with Wonka to plan a grand escape. Can you do it? Without them there would be no film.
There isn't much of a movie anyway, although King throws everything he can at the screen – car chases, escapes, variations on candy, more songs and more characters that fail to leave an impression. The exception is Hugh Grant, who is definitely worth the price of admission as an orange, green-haired Oompa Loompa with his own designs on Wonka's chocolate.
“Wonka” is at its best when it floats above the heavy plot machinery and comes across as thin, whimsical fun. After recently portraying a young cannibal in the spooky film “Bones and All,” Chalamet is clearly having fun playing on a children's ride. You will too when you forget your worries and join Wonka in the exciting act of self-invention.