“Wonka” presents itself as a classic happy ending film, although chocolate is portrayed as a blatant drug.
The third film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” shows young Willy Wonka’s beginnings in the chocolate business. An industry that is, however, highly competitive and confronts the passionate chocolatier with some arch enemies. Despite everything, Timothée Chalamet, aka Wonka, doesn’t give up and ultimately manages to overcome the obstacles through clever recipe ideas and singing optimistic songs.
At first you ask yourself whether there is actually a need for another film on the subject after Tim Burton’s 2005 version of Willy Wonka with Johnny Depp in the lead role. Above all, whether the flashback to the chocolate factory owner’s youth is ultimately just an excuse to tell almost the same story again? But it’s actually one of the rare works that doesn’t try to rehash an old story or cling to the hype of its predecessors by keeping almost the entire plot the same. “Wonka” shows a new, open version of Willy Wonka in which children are not blown up into a giant human ball. But is the film also worth it for adults? Here comes our review.
The American Dream in the form of “Wonka”
From rags to riches and only through a dream and the necessary ambition. This is how “Wonka” can be summed up well. The youth version of Willy travels to London to fulfill his dream in life without the necessary change: opening his own chocolate shop in the “Galleries Gourmet”. The candy experts are located there, according to the protagonist’s mother, who has since died. She was the one who originally introduced him to the craft, and she is now the reason why he is so passionate about it – he wants to be able to feel close to her even after death.
After seven years of traveling the world in search of extraordinary ingredients such as giraffe milk and rare cocoa beans, young Wonka is now ready to bring an equally innovative chocolate onto the market. But three competitors, who see Wonka’s chocolate as a threat to their business, try to prevent this with the help of the police. Not the only spreading impairment: the young, naive man cannot read, which leads him to sign a dubious contract. This turns a free night in a hostel into a prison where he has to pay the bill through years of work. Locked in the inn and watched by the competition outside, Wonka continues to try to get his chocolate to people. After all, he has the right candy for every situation. No matter whether she makes you fly or turns you into a Broadway singer.
Absurd, Absurd, “Wonka”
This is a film based on a children’s book. Of course, this is noticeable in the work through the constant optimism of the characters and countless crazy scenes. Wonka is offered a night in an inn, the cost of which he doesn’t have to pay until the next day. However, the final sum ends up being larger than expected, because the owners of the house even charge for the use of the stairs up to his room – for each individual step.
Director Paul King, who also co-wrote the work with Simon Farnaby, naturally creates an imaginative world with such absurdities. He himself seems to be aware of this, because Wonka sings about how there is no better place in the world than fantasy. Socially respectable characters, such as monks and businessmen, are transformed into something ridiculous by their addiction to chocolate. Men in suits dancing with colorful feather fans are deliberately depicted in a silly manner, as is a priest who even joins a cartel for a piece of chocolate. This also makes adults laugh here and there.
Chocolate as the new LSD?
The addiction to chocolate means that the big bosses of the chocolate business also use it as a means of payment in order to get the church and the police on their side. People even crave the “boring” candy from Wonka’s competition. His own creations reinforce the impression that these are, so to speak, drugs. Not only does he make chocolate that gives people hope, but he also secretly sells it on the street in order to escape the police. But this is also exaggerated here, so there is a suitable chocolate for almost every type of grief – it apparently also helps against hair loss.
So here we are dealing with a world in which excessive chocolate consumption does not lead to diabetes, but to happiness. Why not? And all of this is portrayed extremely convincingly by the actors. They surprise not only with their consistently good performance, but also with their presence in the film. Anyone who hasn’t looked at the extremely long list of contributors in advance can look forward to some surprising moments. From Keegan-Michael Key – who, by the way, was born for such funny roles – to Olivia Colman, Matt Lucas and Rakhee Thakrar to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, there are really a lot of familiar faces at the start. And if that’s not enough, you’ll get your money’s worth with Hugh Grant in the role of an Oompa Loompa and Mr. Bean, aka Rowan Atkinson, as Father Julius. Especially when you get to see some of them singing, which is not usually the case.
Conclusion: First of all, the good news for fans of musicals is that the singing scenes are reduced to a minimum. Nevertheless, there are one or two sequences in which there is too much singing about life’s dreams. After all, it’s enough if a character is already talking about his heart’s desires, isn’t it? But anyone who wants to take a little break from negative news will be happy with “Wonka” – because here you will definitely be taken into a world where chocolate is the core of the cocoa bean and of goodness.