Wonka, Directed by Paul King

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, and Keegan-Michael Key
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Running time: 116 minutes
Rated PG for some violence, mild language, and thematic elements.

Author’s note: This review contains spoilers.

Growing up, I didn’t have much interest in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or in any of the various adaptations made over the years. A kid motivated primarily by chocolate wasn’t relatable or attention-grabbing for me, and the mysterious chocolatier who owned the factory and employed small, singing orange men with green hair seemed weird and, well, a bit creepy.

So, I was hesitant to check out Wonka, the musical origin story of that colorful, yet strange sweet maker. But when the trailers indicated that the film would be a feel-good story about pursuing one’s dreams, I decided to give it a chance—and I’m glad I did. The movie is not only full of joyful songs, laugh-out-loud moments, and appropriately vivid colors, but it also presents Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) as an entrepreneurial hero.

He moves to a big city, poor but determined to sell his chocolate, which he’s perfected over several years of experimenting with rare ingredients collected from all over the world. Brimming with optimism, benevolence, and a touch of naïveté, he sings that he’s arrived with “a hatful of dreams” and the belief that “in this city anyone can be successful, if they’ve talent and work hard.”¹ And work hard he must to overcome the various obstacles that follow—ranging from being tricked by a dishonest innkeeper (Olivia Coleman) into signing a terrible contract to outright sabotage plotted by his competitors. But Wonka never loses his positive view of people or his determination to pursue his goals. He finds creative ways to sell his chocolate—even as his competitors forcibly try to block him from entering the market. His perseverance alone makes him an inspiring character.

But Wonka is also a genuine innovator. He combines flavors and ingredients never used before (such as giraffe’s milk and hoverflies) to produce magical confections that delight his customers. He and his friends create a shop that isn’t just a place to buy things; it offers a unique experience to enjoy in itself. He sings:

Here’s a store that’s like no other
If it were, I wouldn’t bother²

Further, like the best real-world entrepreneurs, Wonka is motivated by firsthand goals, following his colorful notions about what a sweet shop could and should be—and rejecting the conventional approach used by the stuffy, posh, established chocolatiers. His idea for a magical chocolate shop combined his love for magic tricks with his desire to re-create the warmth he felt while savoring the chocolate his late mother had made for him when he was a child. He explains the effect he wants to create for those entering his shop, singing:

Here is the wonder we used to feel
Back when the magic was real

A world of your own
A place to go when you’re
Feeling alone
Feeling unsure
Embrace the unknown
Enjoy the adventure³

Given his motivation, perhaps it’s no surprise that the adult Wonka retains many admirable qualities we often associate with children: curiosity, awe, joy in simple things, and ease with new people. He combines this youthful spirit with a mature ability to stand by his judgment. For instance, when the established chocolatiers he admires publicly disapprove of his candy, he shrugs off their criticism and continues to delight his customers with his incredible sweets.

Those chocolatiers are the film’s major villains, and it’s fitting that they are cronyists: They conspire to keep Wonka from selling chocolate in the city because his innovative sweets and low prices would drastically reduce their market share. Among other things, they bribe the chief of police, asking him to send Wonka a message “backed up by physical force.” They represent the caricature of capitalists as businessmen who attempt to fleece the poor to maximize profits. But Wonka demonstrates how markets—to the extent that they are free—actually work. Wonka undercuts his competitors with better products and lower prices, relying on charisma, win-win relationships, and ingenuity.

In one area, however, the film seems to fall into common misconceptions about profits and greed. Wonka’s young sidekick, Noodle (Calah Lane), claims that “the greedy beat the needy,” the latter referring to the victims of the cronyists. But in using the term “greedy,” she seemingly conflates the pursuit of profits with a willingness to lie, cheat, and steal. All the film’s major factions—the cronyist villains, the scamming innkeepers, and Wonka and his team—desire profits. But whereas the first two try to bolster business by using force, the Wonka team is dedicated to achieving success by creating a superior product and selling to willing customers.

Overall, the film is lighthearted and fun, even when the characters are dealing with serious challenges, thanks in large part to a generous dose of humor. Although more serious viewers may find a few parts overly silly, several moments and characters will make you laugh out loud, from a deadpanning Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant) to Wonka’s extravagant rhymes to the police chief’s willingness to accept chocolate as a bribe. Many such jokes involve the city church, which is run by “chocoholic monks” and a corrupt cleric, Father Julius (Rowan Atkinson), who cries out in a moment of chaos that he’s sinned, having “sold [his] soul for thirty pieces of chocolate.”⁴

Despite Wonka’s unfortunate confusion about greed, it’s a joyful film that celebrates innovation, entrepreneurship, and win-win relationships. If you’re looking for a fun movie to enjoy with the whole family this holiday season, Wonka is a great pick.

About Angelica Walker-Werth

Angelica is a fellow at Objective Standard Institute, an assistant editor and writer for The Objective Standard. Her roles at OSI include managing the internship and scholarship programs, course administration and development, and editing On Solid Ground. She writes nonfiction articles and speaks about Objectivism and fiction; you can see her work at walker-werth.com. She is also voracious reader of fiction in her spare time, and writes about the ideas in fictional works at fictionosophy.substack.com.

View all articles by Angelica Walker-Werth →