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Don't Fight the Wonka
Okay, so you’ve had a whole weekend and a day to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the latest from director Tim Burton and his greatest muse, Johnny Depp. But maybe you haven’t seen it yet. Maybe you’re thinking, "Why bother? It’s a kid’s movie. I’m not a kid, I’m a grown-up, harrumph!" Or maybe you’re a lifetime member of the Gene Wilder Fan Club, and you’ve sworn your devotion to the original Willy Wonka and would never, ever betray him by seeing this bastardization of his name, so there!
And to that we say: You’re missing out. You really, really are.
This movie does not strive to duplicate the 1971 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. There are echoes of the original, sure, but Charlie is mostly a whole other animal. A fanciful, delightful animal. Burton brings his singular, wonderfully weird and dark magic to Roald Dahl’s wonderfully weird and dark tale of a financially challenged, ordinary little boy and an eccentric candymaker who opens his long-closed factory one day for only five lucky children. What we get is an imaginative, colorful film that delves a little deeper into the psyche of the mysterious Willy Wonka - but without completely destroying the mystery - and asks questions such as, “Why did he open the chocolate factory in the first place? And what is with those eerily perfect teeth?”
Depp, who over the years has undoubtedly proven himself as one of his generation’s best actors, takes the character of Willy Wonka to a very different place from his predecessor. While Wilder was somewhat aloof and prone to the occasional lashing out, he was still an affable person who wouldn’t shy away from a good hug. Depp turns Wonka into an effeminate man-child, almost adolescent in his hilariously snappy retorts and visibly repulsed by the children. He wears purple latex gloves so he never has to actually touch any of them, and he doesn’t even bother to learn their names. He can’t bring himself to say the word “parents,” and through some (albeit slightly heavyhanded) flashbacks, we learn why.
MORE INSIDE! But beware! Spoilers ahead.
Wonka’s father is a dentist and never allowed his son to eat candy (a mother figure is noticeably absent). Young Willy is also painfully constrained by a particularly gruesome set of headgear and braces, which resemble some kind of medieval torture device. He runs away from home and becomes the creator of sugary treats so inventive and unusual that he eventually builds the largest chocolate factory in the world – but at the price of losing any semblance of a family.
Also very central to this film (of course) are Charlie Bucket and his poor, but loving, parents and grandparents. The Bucket house is a typical Burton creation: crumbling, sloping and gothic, located on the outskirts of the rigid, geometric buildings of the city. Despite its ramshackle state, the house is infused with a warmth and coziness that can only be attributed to the bond of a family. It’s a great contradiction to Wonka’s grandiose, whimsical, yet strangely cold factory. Freddie Highmore is adorable and marvelous as Charlie. He strikes just the right mix of wonderment, humility, and boyishness.
The other four bratty Golden Ticket finders and their parents are well-cast; loathsome creatures whose parents are just as worthless. We especially loved Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb) and her mother (Missy Pyle), who always show up in prissy, matching outfits and exude a frightening, feverish sense of confidence and competition.
We did not like the Oompa-Loompas so much. One actor (Deep Roy) was digitally multiplied to create the creepy little workers from Loompaland, and that effect got old fast. Plus, the Oompa-Loompa song and dance routines seemed a little forced and overly silly. We can certainly appreciate the genius of composer Danny Elfman, but this part just wasn’t our bag.
Overall, we luurrved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In fact, we’d happily see it more than once. It made us laugh and clap and feel like a kid again. It also gave us a huge craving for chocolate bars. Not that that’s unusual for us or anything.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, David Kelly, Freddie Highmore, and Christopher Lee
Now playing
Showtimes
