I'd heard mixed reports of the 2023 Christmas big film Wonka - people who had seen it said it was good, but people who hadn't reported hearing mixed results. And it's 7.3 IMDB score from 48,000 votes wasn't super encouraging. But I (almost) loved it!
I say almost, because there's a part reasonably near the end where some people nearly drown in chocolate... you know they're going to be OK because it's a feel good kid's film, but still - due to personal family history, I found this part quite uncomfortable to watch. Oh how I wish the dramatic climax had involved a different almost-fate - because then I could have loved it wholeheartedly! Or they'd been rescued just a few seconds sooner. Instead I'm needing to remind myself that up until that point I was sat there thinking how utterly brilliant it was, and trying to shrug off the slightly grey cloud that's now appeared over my day.
Timothée Chalamet is the perfect young Wonka. (Well, perfect for me - more on that later.) The whole cast are spectacular - and such a host of famous faces! We were actually a little underwhelmed by Matt Lucas - not that he didn't do everything brilliantly, but just that I guess he wasn't the leading light like he sometimes is. My son is 9 and a fan of Horrible Histories so recognised several actors from that (I was recognising them from Ghosts - which I love, and which I knew was the cast of Horrible Histories so I could help him place people). Olivia Coleman needs a mention here, just because. As does Paterson Joseph. Calah Lane - who I hadn't seen in anything before - had me from her first scene; I'll certainly be looking out for her in more things in the future.
The songs are lovely (1 minute into the film my husband looked at me in horror on realising it's a musical!). The scenery is pretty special, and the camera work / filming of the whole film is magical.
The cast have a mixture of accents including English, Irish and American which combined with the grand architecture and French sounding place names, mean you can't place the film anywhere - which is very inclusive and adds to the feeling of a part-fantasy-part-real world.
Another highlight - Hugh Grant. Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa. In a clip I'd seen I wasn't super convinced - he seemed a little cringe. But that was a bad clip, or watching the whole film takes you to a magical place. Because watching the film for real, he was great.
On the way home, I told my kids how I used to have posters of the Oompa Loompa on my bedroom wall and how I wished my Mum could marry him. They were quite surprised at this and asked if he'd always been orange... they also decided he'd probably gotten smaller as he'd aged.
I'm quite a rational person - I'd normally take issue with someone having no money but having a constant supply of special ingredients in their hat (although having said that, Mary Poppins is my favourite film) or only having a few hours a day yet creating fantastical shop outfits and fixtures and fittings. But you're swept along in a magical world where you just accept things at face value. The musical aspect of the film helps that - people bursting into song is hardly realistic.
My husband was apparently discussing with my 6 year old daughter - who really enjoyed and followed the film - that he's not a fan of Origin stories; he prefers things to move forwards rather than back. But nonetheless he did really enjoy this tale of how Wonka made himself known.
That's where I come back to the point of the character of Wonka - Chalamet's Wonka is a really lovely guy. The right amount of naive, whimsical, and very well meaning. His Wonka is the sort who would give Charlie the keys to the castle. But - on reflection on the car journey on the way home, showing the kids photos of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp - he isn't at all dark.
Quite a different film, but the Origin story of Joker shows you how that man got twisted into Batman's nemesis - this origin story leaves you with a beautiful, happy young man who believes in making dreams come true and helping his friends. This Wonka wouldn't stetch a kid or let them fall into a furnace. So, whilst he does face some unpleasant people, at the end of this film he still seems happy enough with humanity - and is infact surrounded by friends - that he isn't about to shut himself off from the World.
Overally, Wonka is a beautiful, feel good film (except for the one scene I didn't like) and I'd highly recommend it! I'd like to watch it again on TV and just leave the room when I know to.
