Wonka
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Whimsical, sweet prequel has mild peril, fatphobic jokes.
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Wonka
Community Reviews
Based on 56 parent reviews
Not safe for current or former foster kids
What's the Story?
After years of exploring the world for the best chocolate recipes, Willy WONKA (Timothée Chalamet) decides to try to sell his chocolate in the Gallerie Gourmet, alongside legendary chocolatiers Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Fickelgruber (Matthew Baynton). But Wonka loses all of his money on his first day in town and ends up deep in debt to deceitful, mean-spirited laundress Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman). With the help of his fellow laundry workers -- young orphan Noodle (Calah Lane), former accountant Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter), wannabe comedian Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher), former telephone operator Lottie Bell (Rakhee Thakrar), and Piper Benz (Natasha Rothwell) -- Wonka finds a way to make his dreams come true. But he'll need to outsmart the greedy chocolatiers and the chocoholic police chief (Keegan-Michael Key).
Is It Any Good?
This sweet, optimistic origin story is a colorful, earnest crowd-pleaser, albeit with a few small missteps. Director Paul King (who also co-wrote the film) brings his Paddington touch to this adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's tale. Chalamet isn't an amazing singer, but the songs are short, catchy, and family-friendly. There's a melancholy undercurrent about Wonka's motivations for making the perfect chocolate bar, but Chalamet plays the younger Wonka with a guileless, dreamy air -- not the occasionally weird, creepy vibes of Johnny Depp's or Gene Wilder's previous Wonka performances. Colman is fabulously mean as Mrs. Scrubbit, only to be topped by the three clueless, conniving chocolatiers, played by the excellent Joseph, and the comic pair of Lucas and Baynton.
But of all the supporting characters, it's plucky Noodle who makes the biggest impression. She's a put-upon orphan kid whom viewers will cheer for as she and Wonka go on their chocolate-making adventures (like a memorable excursion to milk a giraffe). Hugh Grant is hilariously cast as the first Oompa Loompa to have dealings with Wonka, stealing every scene he's in. The production design is vibrantly whimsical, particularly in the chocolate shop sequence. All of that said, King and Simon Farnaby's earnest script didn't need the fatphobic jokes about Key's character. They don't land well, and there are enough other chocoholic characters that the ever-expanding chief of police is a lazy gag. It's disappointing, but the rest of the movie demonstrates once again that King knows how to make an imaginative family film for all ages.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Wonka's messages about teamwork and perseverance. Why are those important character strengths?
How did you feel about the jokes based on the police chief's weight? Is that kind of humor funny, or is it demeaning?
Most Dahl adaptations include mean and/or villainous characters. What do you think of the ones in this story?
How does the movie compare to the other Wonka-related movies? What about the Paddington films?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 15, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: January 30, 2024
- Cast: Timothée Chalamet , Calah Lane , Paterson Joseph , Olivia Colman , Hugh Grant
- Director: Paul King
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Black actors
- Studio: Warner Brothers
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Book Characters , Friendship , Music and Sing-Along
- Character Strengths: Courage , Empathy , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time: 116 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: some violence, mild language and thematic elements
- Last updated: May 15, 2024
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