Welcome back to the blog readers. In case you do not know by now, I am a big fan of Timothée Chalamet and his work, first really taking note of him in Little Women (2019), a role he exceeded in. Fast forward a few years, he is the lead in the Dune series (2021-present), plus he was electric in the psychological drama Bones and All (2022). The man has a future, and I agree he will be the next Daniel Day-Lewis. When I heard he would be stepping into the shoes of Willy Wonka, I knew I had to be there. Unfortunately, I could not be there before my cutoff date and missed the chance to put it on my rankings, but I can still give you my review of it anyway. Would Chalamet be able to fill the shoes of the legendary Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp? Would I be charmed at all? Stick around to find out.
Wonka was directed by Paul King from a screenplay by King and Simon Farnaby and a story by King, based on characters from Roald Dahl. The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Patterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Matthew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant. In the film, a young Willy Wonka navigates his early days as a chocolatier.
I do want to admit I was a bit nervous heading into the film because I had no idea what to expect. I mean this is the guy who directed Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017), both of which I was not a fan of. But with that being said, I do have to say that I was absolutely...delighted with this film. Obviously I may not be the target audience for a film like this, but damnit, I had fun. Chalamet was a delight to watch, the music was fun, and I guess it was the right amount of campy.
Timothée Chalamet shines as a Willy Wonka. I was not sure if he would be able to ace the role, but I definitely think he got more comfortable as the film went on. And by the end, I think he was very confident in himself and the product. Especially in this role, Chalamet has a sort of charisma about him that is absolutely infectious, and his singing voice while admittedly is not the best, he has a voice that is smooth like butter. I would be down to seeing more of him as Willy Wonka.
The other performances are fun and enjoyable as well. Child actor Calah Lane is the heart and soul of the film, and she proves it with a memorable little performance. Olivia Colman and Tom Davis are money together as two of the villains. The other villains (Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, and Matthew Baynton) are clearly having too much fun with the material and I love it. And Hugh Grant feels out of place, but somehow fits right in, as an Oompa Loompa.
The feel of the film reminds me of a film called Spirited (2022) in its light-hearted tone and memorable songs. The only difference is that Spirited is a Christmas film and Wonka is a chocolate film...or something like that. The songs are fun as well, especially "A World of Your Own," "For a Moment," and "You've Never Had Chocolate Like This." And I definitely think that the musicality is there, especially because the lyrics are by Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy, and the score is done by Joby Talbot.
To conclude my thoughts, Wonka is a film made with love for people of all ages that will charm its way into anyone's heart with catchy songs, fun performances, and a sense of positivity. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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