Being an old soul since birth, I always feel a tad ridiculous going to a kids’ movie. I felt the same way at Wonka, even though I love Timothee Chalamet. I’m always praying for some adult humor snuck in to benefit us taller than 4 feet.
Wonka did provide a smidge of adult humor (thanks to Olivia Coleman’s bawdy ‘innkeeper’ role).
Brought to you by the same guys (Roald Dahl orginator, Paul King writer/director and Simon Faraby also writer) who wrote and directed The Paddington Bear films (saw none, but heard of grown men crying as a result). The special effects were marvelous and the story telling stuck the landing at the end.
And while I liked Wonka better than I thought I would, there were a few problems that could have made it truly great.
Let me put my stethoscope and play Script Doctor:
1. Don’t give me a long intro of nothingness: Much like Ferrari and All of Us Strangers, Wonka wastes the first 15 minutes speed rolling scenes that make me want to scream out, “get to the story!”.
2. Spend money on minor characters as certain minor characters were weakly acted: the three chocolate antagonists were a bore and Olivia Coleman’s boy toy was also flat.
3. Get better songwriters (my son Liam Enright is available) The music was also lalala except for two numbers, the origin Imagination song and one other sung by the three antagonists who were attempting to bribe the cop.
Fortunately the other players helped rescue the film. Again Chalamet is a super talent, a guy who can sing, dance and play a believable cannibal, heroin addict, and teenage gay swooner. The latter being from the movies Bones and All, Beautiful Boy and Call Me By Your Name, respectively.
The young gal who plays his partner in cocoa crime is Calah Lane and she’ll be around for awhile. Her role made me feel for a girl tossed aside by her rich Uncle. Hugh Grant was adorable as the Oompa Loompa. Keegan Michael-Key was respectable as a cop with a sweet tooth and Rich Fulcher who played the guy with the talent to talk with an underwater accent. And one of my favorite actresses of all time, Sally Hawkins, plays the all silent Wonka’s Mom in flashbacks. I hope she gets something bigger to do soon.
And yes, I came home and ate a piece of chocolate before bed which tells the cinematography and story were very effective.
