‘Wonka’: Timothée Chalamet Is Willy Wonka in Cheerful Return to the Chocolate Factory 

Alci Rengifo

Director Paul King makes “Wonka” work better than it should because he’s been allowed to give it just enough of his own voice. There’s no hiding that this is another big studio attempt at cashing off a longtime family favorite title. It’s not really linked to Roald Dahl’s classic 1964 children’s book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” but is clearly plucking at our nostalgia for the beloved 1971 adaptation, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” We should be glad this new movie doesn’t have yet another chocolate factory thrown into the title. Did we ever really want to know how candy baron Willy Wonka got his start? Not really. Gene Wilder’s famous take, which is the obvious model here, was enigmatic enough where we enjoyed not really knowing where Wonka came from. Now we sort of have an answer in an entertaining, visually lively serving of sugar and music.

The Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) introduced here is a young man arriving by ship to a fantastical city that looks suited for wintry postcards. Willy has been sailing around the world, as the opening song tells it, and has now landed in his final stop with dreams of making his name as a chocolatier. He’s spent the last seven years scouring the globe for unique ingredients. Willy finds lodging at a spot owned by the sneaky Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and Bleacher (Tom Davis). The candy man can’t read and so he doesn’t realize the contract Mrs. Scrubbit makes him sign turns him into a debt prisoner. Now stuck in the laundry room with other guests in the same boat, including Noodle (Calah Lane), Willy figures he can pay what he owes if his chocolates find success. The big obstacle is a trio of local chocolate barons, Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton). Willy also has to catch an Oompa-Loompa (Hugh Grant) that’s been stealing his cocoa beans.

King and writer Simon Farnaby make it work because they bring along the same spirit from King’s “Paddington” and “Paddington 2” films, which were big successes. The latter in particular is being increasingly singled out as one of the best family films of the last decade. Some of the cast, like Tom Davis, Sally Hawkins (Willy’s mom in flashbacks) and Hugh Grant, are “Paddington 2” veterans. Fans of Dahl’s book know it was re-adapted in 2005 by Tim Burton as the correctly-titled “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” featuring Johnny Depp as an odd, twisted Wonka fit for the Burton mold. But King is openly referencing the 1971 Mel Stuart movie. From the beginning, the score by Joby Talbot revives the melody of “Pure Imagination,” originally sung by Gene Wilder as Wonka when he introduces guests to his candy wonderland. So you can say that it’s an entertaining combination of King’s signature style with love for a movie that has cast an influence over that style.

Shot with glowing elegance by Chung-hoon Chung (“It” and “Last Night in Soho”), “Wonka” kicks off with the tone of a seasonal musical. The plot maintains some of the hilariously mean life lessons Dahl threw around the first story, while going with a simple story of a likable hero cornered by dastardly older foes. Basically, Willy arrives into town, sings a catchy tune about chocolate and the evil corporate overlords want to sink his prospects. King stages with a classic studio era spirit good musical moments, as when Willy and his fellow debt prisoners, Noodle, Abacus (Jim Carter), Lottie (Rakhee Thakrar), Abacus (Jim Carter) and Piper Benz (Natasha Rothwell) croon about being stuck in the laundry room washing away. Willy gets some catchy tunes that will induce anyone to go search for candy when he shows off his chocolates that can make you fly. A lot of it is cornball but with enough self-awareness. King and Farnaby also nod at Dahl’s inventiveness with some funny bits. There is a church run by a corrupt priest (Rowan Atkinson of “Mr. Bean” fame) featuring a chorus of chocolate-addicted monks. The evil candy CEOs control the local police chief (Keegan-Michael Key) by supplying him with endless amounts of chocolate, which eventually balloon him to comically large size.

In terms of the performances, much of the weight of expectation falls on Timothée Chalamet. He’s wearing a top hat made classic by Wilder, then worn by Depp in a performance still debated. Chalamet doesn’t try to copy either but does know how to gently hint at Wilder’s combination of friendliness and zaniness. As a character Willy Wonka was never the hero, it was always downtrodden Charlie, who wins a golden ticket to visit his factory. Charlie was spotless while Wonka hid madness behind his friendly eyes. Chalamet is the more innocent version, learning his first lessons in capitalist competition. The casting works because we root for this younger guy with a scrawny demeanor surrounded by the ruthless candy barons or taken advantage of by Mrs. Scrubbit when she sees he can’t read. This is no doubt where Willy learned lessons about reading the “small print,” which he applies later in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” if you recall. Chalamet pulls off the song numbers with the right amount of goofy cheer, even if none of them are as infectious as “The Candy Man.”

“Wonka” does eventually settle on a formula for its resolutions. King’s “Paddington” films are wonderful, heartfelt adventures that culminate in thrillingly inventive chases. This movie doesn’t necessarily reach those heights, despite one or two charming gags like Willy and Noodle trapped in a chamber of rising liquid chocolate. Hugh Grant’s Oompa-Loompa brings nothing new to the proceedings, considering the little green workers were always just background decoration in the original movies, popping in for a song or two. Grant at least gives his Oompa-Loompa refined humor, complete with carry-on luggage that doubles as a bar where he can mix drinks and hear Willy’s woes. Yes chocolate factory fans, he does also sing a jam with the catchy melody we all grew up with. Yet, King makes sure not to slip into overkill with the nostalgia. “Wonka” can be enjoyed on its own as a treat to satisfy our cinematic sweet tooth as the year winds down.

“Wonka” releases Dec. 15 in theaters nationwide.