Writer/Director: Paul King
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant
‘Magnificent Musical’
Few characters shape children’s persona like Willy Wonka. Since 1960’s creation, Wonka has created a world of pure imagination. A hero that’s practically perfect in every way, Wonka has instilled love of candy in children today. Shining light, Wonka has met kids’ appetite on a lovely night. An icon for whom life is like a box of chocolates, Wonka has shaped kids’ traits. On a personal level, I find the inventor relatable. Years ago, my mother sought dreams to become a famous baker somewhere over the rainbow. Nobody in the entire world could bake cakes like my mother meeting kids’ desire. Crafting cakes by hand, she sought success in a Middle East land. Created with detail, she would never fail to put her cakes for sale. She designed cakes showing famous characters such as Barbie for children’s parties. A feast for eyes, her cakes attracted praise in the Middle East. Sold for financial gain, her cakes left kids singing in the rain. Her dream was to open bakeries selling cakes with cream. Called Sucre, she opened bakeries selling cakes at a cheap price to pay. Like Wonka’s factories, my mother created bakeries. Having a sweet tooth, my mother shaped my youth. Winning a golden ticket, I was the luckiest kid on the planet. I formed a bond with my mother crafting cakes of which I became fond. As iconic as Elvis Presley, Wonka reminds me of mothers’ identity. Casting a spell, Wonka recalls my mother whose cakes would sell. Years later, Wonka is a reminder of mothers I treasure.
Now, Paul King commemorates chocolate makers with charisma impacting my mother’s persona in “Wonka”. Inspirational, heartwarming and whimsical, it celebrates legendary literature figures’ legacies. Paul King provides acknowledgements of chocolate makers for the modern-day generation. Boasting breathtaking production-design, soul-stirring storytelling and phenomenal performances, it’s a magnificent musical. Although “Wonka” is wonderful, it isn’t flawless. It’s clumsily paced, featuring inappropriate humor about overweight communities. Nevertheless, it provides heartfelt entertainment for musicals’ fans.
“Wonka” tells origin stories of a boy becoming founders of chocolate factories. Timothee Chalamet embodies Willy Wonka, an inventor seeking opening chocolate factories in the Galleries Gourmet. Guided by his deceased mother (Sally Hawkins), Wonka strives becoming a famous chocolate maker. However, Wonka’s larger-than-life dreams are threatened by competitive rivals causing stress. Enduring competition, Wonka questions whether he can create worlds of pure imagination.
Paul King admires children’s characters. King launched careers capturing talking bears in 2018’s “Paddington”. With “Wonka’, however, King crafts musicals. It’s King’s attempts reimagining legendary characters, but he succeeds. Through spellbinding cinematography, King captures chocolate factories formations. Celebrating Mel Stuart’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, King recreates Wonka’s chocolate using a color palette. Bright colors elevate the “You’ve Never Tasted Chocolate Like This” sequence. During this scene, Wonka boasts about chocolate’s supreme quality by singing a melody. It reminded me about my mother’s passion baking cakes children appreciated. Using eye-popping color palettes, King captures excitement felt by inventors selling chocolates on the market. Bright color palettes are complicated. As Victor Fleming’s “The Wizard of Oz” suggested, colors elevate 1930’s musicals. Nevertheless, it works. Alongside cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung, King captures chocolate. King reimagines Willy Wonka, manufacturing theatrical viewing.
If legendary characters don’t attract you to the Cinema, however, there’s reasons to see “Wonka”. One area where “Wonka” surpasses predecessors is musical numbers. Assisted by set-designer Nathan Crowley, King stages musical sequences showcasing Wonka’s prosperity. For instance, magical realism elevates store opening scene. During this unforgettable scene, Wonka is excited opening chocolate stores. One acknowledges magical realism recalling Robert Stevenson’s “Mary Poppins”. Like Mary Poppins’ spoonfuls of sugar helps medicine go down, Wonka’s shop becomes talk of the town. It reminded me of my mother opening a bakery store children would adore. King captures chocolate business that’s successful. Magical realism is tricky. As Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” suggested, magical realism elevated 1950’s musicals. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” claimed magical realism elevates satires. Nevertheless, it works. Moreover, music is superb. Evoking Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land”, it builds whimsical atmosphere. `Through stellar set-design, King celebrates chocolates.
Another extraordinary “Wonka” aspect is storytelling. King’s screenwriting strength is capturing positive impact of parents on Willy Wonka by flashbacks. In Hollywood, movies infrequently address impact of parents on Wonka’s success. As a case in point: Spike Brandt’s “Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” depicted Wonka as a hero forming chocolate factories without parents shaping identity. Fortunately, though, “Wonka” avoids pitfalls. Evoking Robert Zemeckis’ “Forrest Gump”, King expertly uses flashbacks capturing positive impact of mothers on Wonka’s identity. Like Forrest Gump’s memories of mothers in Alabama, Wonka recalls mothers passing down love for chocolate which shaped his persona. Flashbacks elevate the scene where Wonka recalls mothers giving him wisdom to pursue dreams. It sparked heartwarming memories of mothers whose bakeries shaped my identity. Through flashbacks, King demonstrates important roles mothers played making Wonka’s dreams come true. Flashbacks are complicated. As Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” suggested, flashbacks elevate period pieces. Dexter Fletcher’s “Rocketman” demonstrated flashbacks elevate biographies about famous musicians. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Through soul-stirring storytelling, King celebrates mothers.
One appreciates astonishing performances.
Timothee Chalamet delivers a career-defining performance as Wonka. Chalamet gained fame playing gay teens in Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name”. It’s challenging portraying a legendary character in cinematic history, but Chalamet succeeds. Evoking Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, Chalamet embodies the chocolate maker’s personality. Not only does Chalamet capture Wonka’s energy, but he showcases talent singing melodies. With riveting expressions, he captures ambition, curiosity and dedication of a chocolate maker. It’s a phenomenal performance.
The supporting cast is amazing, sharing strong chemistry. Hugh Grant is great, bringing charisma to an institutionalization’s Oompa Loompa enduring a dilemma caught stealing chocolates from Willy Wonka. Sally Hawkins is sensational, capturing compassionate nature of Wonka’s baker mother. Lastly, Olivia Coleman merits acknowledgements. As Mrs. Scrubitt, she’s hilarious.
Despite phenomenal performances, however, “Wonka” is a chocolate maker whose candies don’t fulfill children’s appetite. King’s decisions incorporating orphan subplots into the movie is bold but doesn’t succeed. Therefore, sequences demonstrating orphans’ trauma are less engaging than the journey of Wonka. As David Yates’ “Fantastic Beasts: and Where to Find Them” suggested, orphan stories elevate fantasy franchises. Moreover, the film suffers from fatphobic humor. It features gags about overweight police that aren’t funny. Obesity is a sensitive subject rarely lending itself toward humor. Whereas this humor was acceptable when Roald Dahl published literature in the 1960’s, it’s offensive today. Such tasteless jokes appear more suited to comedies rather than children’s movies. As Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale”, obesity elevates psychological dramas. Therefore, not everyone appreciates “Wonka’s” chocolates.
Nevertheless, Willy Wonka’s fans will definitely recognize “Wonka” and so will movie-goers which give acknowledgements towards mothers. A magnificent musical, it honors a strong-willed icon forming a wonderful chocolate factory. A wonderful tribute toward a world-famous chocolate manufacturer operating factories seeking acknowledgements in literature, it’s a larger-than-life reminder of Willy Wonka leading kids to treasure institutionalization’s parents they treasure.
A captivating celebration of a legendary character for whom life is like a box of chocolates, it’s a crystal clear reminder of the impact mothers had on Wonka without whom chocolate factories wouldn’t open gates.
Like spoonful of sugar given to kids by nannies that are practically perfect in every way, it’s a magical reminder of strong impact a chocolate maker has on children facing a jolly holiday today.
If movies could celebrate mothers inspiring inventors to create a world of pure imagination, hopefully seeing Wonka form chocolate factories guided by mothers leads children to cherish parents with affection.
As delicious as chocolates Wonka strives to make, it has led me to take pride in a mother with powerful abilities to bake a cake without making any mistake with whom I developed a larger-than-life relationship that’s become impossible to break.
4/5 stars
The Film Buff 