The latest drop from Flicks_withNick brings us last month’s holiday hit Wonka. Wonka was released on December 15, and is still mostly in theaters. The movie stars Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka, Calah Lane as Noodle, Keegan-Michael Key as the Chief of Police, Paterson Joseph as Slugworth, and Hugh Grant as Oompa Loompa. The movie also has appearances from Academy award nominee Sally Hawkins, and Academy award Winner Olivia Coleman. The Movie is directed by Paul King who also directed the critically acclaimed Paddington & Paddington 2. As of this writing the movie has a Rotten Tomato score of 83%, with an Audience score of 91%.
The film opens with Wonka arriving in an unnamed city, and singing a catchy tune “Hatful of Dreams”, where he wants to open his own chocolate shop. Wonka is only reduced to one Silver Sovereign, when the song is done. Another problem is, in this town you need a shop to sell chocolate, and there’s a chocolate cartel with three men, including Sugworth that will do anything they can to prevent someone from opening up a new shop.
During Wonka’s attempts to open his shop, he gets tricked to work at Scrubbit’s to pay off his debts.
During his time, Wonka befriends an orphan girl named Noodle, and with the help of her, and the others stowed away at Scrubbits, they devise a plan to sell chocolate, while avoiding the Chief of Police. The Chocolate Cartel bribes the Chief of Police with Chocolate to stop Wonka from progressing, and we get comical moments of the Chief gaining weight, from all the chocolate he ate from his bribes The rest of the movie Wonka has to overcome the Chief of Police, paying off his debts, and try to open his new shop.
The screen stealer of the movie is of course the Oompa Loompa played by Hugh Grant. The witty back and forth between him and Wonka will leave the kids and adults laughing. I just hope the Oompa Loompa song doesn’t get stuck in your head.
Timothee Chalamet had a tall task of playing Wonka, as everyone will compare him to Gene Wilder from the original 1971 classic, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. From what I researched this is not a prequel from the 1971 movie, but a prequel in a different reality. I thought Chalamet’s version was charming, funny, and charismatic. Is his signing on the same level as Gene Kelley or even Austin Butler? No, but he doesn’t need to be. His on screen presence makes up for his above average signing.
I was a little worried that this was just another IP cash grab, but after the movie ended, I was inspired, and started singing the songs after the film ended. I have to cover my eyes, so my wife didn’t see me crying at the end. It’s an ongoing joke where if I’m covering my face with my hand at the movie theaters, I’m crying, and don’t want her to see. I thought this was a charming and colorful version of Wonka, compared to the darker version of the 1971 classic. Are the antagonists of the movies your typical mustache twirling villains? Yes, but this is also a family movie, in a fictional town. Some of the character plot points are a little flat, and are only progressed through a dance and song number.
People should know going in that this movie is a family friendly musical, but that shouldn’t deter you, as even my wife who doesn’t care for musicals, is now listening to the sound track. I think this is a movie that everyone should go out and see, where there’s laughs for the children and adults, and songs that will keep everyone entertained.
I give his movie a 3.9/5.
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TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick 
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