Wonka

An utterly delightful family movie that should enchant and entertain viewers of all ages from beginning to end.  Effortlessly blending non-stop comedy with heartfelt emotion, this is the feel-good film of the year.

Premise:  Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) arrives in the culinary capital of the world as a young man intent on making his fortune by sharing his love of chocolate.  But run-ins with the Chocolate Cartel (Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton), as well as the unscrupulous Scrubitt (Olivia Colman) and Bleacher (Tom Davis), threaten to derail his plans, until young orphan Noodle (Calah Lane) comes to his aid.

Review:

In 2014, I went to see the Paul King written and directed Paddington movie with low expectations, and was completely won over by its charm.  You’d have thought I would have learned my lesson, but in 2017 I went to see Paddington 2 (still directed by Paul King, but this time also co-written by Simon Farnaby) with relative low expectations, thinking they would never be able to recapture the magic of the first film – but low and behold, the sequel was somehow even better (no wonder Nicolas Cage called it a masterpiece of cinema in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent).  You might have thought I wouldn’t get fooled again … but when it was announced that Paul King would be directing (and co-writing with Simon Farnaby) a prequel to Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – and that it would be a musical – I was definitely sceptical (especially given the limited number of truly great prequels that I’ve seen, and the fact that I’m not a huge fan of musicals as a genre).

I really should have had more faith in Paul King, Simon Farnaby and the truly amazing cast that they’ve assembled, because Wonka is an utter delight from its opening musical number (which had me chuckling out loud) to its closing mid-credits scene.  The film is relentlessly funny from beginning to end, but varies the humour with everything from slapstick visual comedy to clever wordplay in the song lyrics.  But it’s also packed full of charm and heart (just like the Paddington movies were), with emotional moments that are likely to elicit a tear or two from all but the most jaded of viewers.

“…the songs are catchy, clever, but above all else, funny…”

It’s perhaps not surprising that the film is as funny as it is, given that the cast list is a veritable who’s who of comedy talent, featuring everyone from Oscar-winner Olivia Colman and comedy legends like Rowan Atkinson, Keegan-Michael Key and Hugh Grant, to countless ‘I know that face even if I can’t place the name’ appearances from the likes of Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Tom Davis, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Charlotte Ritchie, Ellie White, Sophie Winkleman, Isy Suttie and Phil Wang.  Every single role, no matter how small, is filled with a great comedy talent, while newcoming Calah Lane completely holds her own among all the veterans as the young orphan Noodle who befriends Wonka.  The cast – young and old – are universally entertaining, but Hugh Grant in particular is inspired casting as a scene-stealing Oompa Loompa.

As someone who’s not a natural fan of musicals, I have to give credit to Neil Hannon (from The Divine Comedy) for writing the original songs for this film – they're catchy, they’re clever, but above all else, they’re genuinely funny too, delivering as many laugh-out-loud moments as the film’s dialogue does.  I immediately downloaded the soundtrack once I got back from the cinema, and have listened to it several times since.

“…a perfect family movie…”

Carrying the weight of the film on his shoulders is Timothée Chalamet, who gets to exercise a completely different set of acting skills from those he’s best known for from his dramatic performances in films like Dune: Part One.  Here, he gets to showcase his impressive singing skills while also demonstrating his comedic talents, all delivered with tonnes of charm and charisma.  Based on his performance in Wonka, it appears there’s nothing that Timothée Chalamet can’t do, as he feels as natural a comedic performer as he is a dramatic one.

Some elements, such as the poignant longing that Wonka feels to reconnect with the spirit of his deceased mother (a touching cameo from Sally Hawkins), may go over the heads of the youngest viewers, but Wonka truly is a perfect family movie – accessible enough for even quite young audience members, yet so packed full of comedy and heart that adults will be entertained from start to finish.  A lovely way to see out the cinematic year.