WONKA Review

Full disclosure, I love the original and the trailer for this film looked amazing, so I was primed to rank this as my #1 fave film of 2023; however this is a case of good trailer/bad movie. I’m so crushed!

Timothée Chalamet is terribly miscast. He’s not the singer or dancer a Broadway type would have been and the role is not even in his acting range. When will producers learn that actual skill and talent supersedes a “name” when casting movie musicals?! He brings zero sense of humor or intensity to the titular role, like Gene Wilder did so naturally. The greatest offenses are the songs. They are forgettable and cheesy. The lyrics are not clever at furthering the plot. The plot seems totally out of left field. There is no real connection to the story for which it serves as a prequel. (aside from some design visuals in production, costuming and makeup, ie: Hugh Grant; and the score callbacks to the classic film). The town doesn’t even look like it could be where Charlie eventually would live. The CGI effects – for both character and world building are a mistake. They, too, pale in comparison to the classic. The tone is like Sweeney Todd meets Mary Poppins, but devoid of joy or great tunes. No joy here. Wonka is a heartbreaker… not an everlasting jawbreaker.

RATING: Stream It