Spoiler Alert.
Like many other people, I went to see the new Wonka movie. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. When they first announced this movie, I thought this was going to be yet another cynical cash grab. It wasn’t. This musical adventure was a joy to watch.
The movie starts with a young Willy Wonka arriving in a European city. He is determined to open a candy store and make his late mother proud. Wonka, with no money in his pocket, stays at a local laundromat ran by Mrs. Scrubbitt and Mr. Bleacher. They seem friendly enough, but the young servant girl, Noodle, warns Wonka that he should read the fine print. Wonka signs it anyway, later confiding in Noodle that he can’t read. Mrs. Scrubbitt tells Wonka that he needs to pay a sovereign by the next night to pay for his room.
The next morning, Wonka tries to sell his chocolate on the street, but comes into conflict with three rival candy makers: Prodnose, Fickelgruber, and Slugworth. Slugworth is clearly the leader, but all three of them tell Wonka to leave and never sell chocolate in their town again. The crowd watching surges forward to buy candy when they realize Wonka’s chocolate can make them fly. The police get involved and confiscate Wonka’s profits, saying that he needs a store to sell chocolate.
Wonka heads back to the laundromat with the one sovereign he has left. He tries to pay for his room, but Scrubbitt and Bleacher reveal that, thanks to the fine print, Wonka owes them more money than is reasonable. They charged him for using the stairs, washing his hands, and even the gin they offered him when he first arrived. Wonka now has to work for them until he can pay off his debt, which won’t be for another twenty-seven years.
Wonka meets the other people forced to work for Scrubbitt and Bleacher: Noodle (a bookworm), Abacus Crunch (an accountant), Lottie Bell (a phone operator), Piper Benz (a plumber), and Larry Chucklesworth (a comedian). Together, they come up with a plan to distract Scrubbitt and Bleacher, so Wonka can go out and sell his chocolate. The six of them decide to split the profits. It works, with Wonka staying one step ahead of the police, until they earn enough to buy a store. Now, they can legally sell chocolate.
Unfortunately for Wonka, the chief of police is working with Slugworth, Fickelgruber, and Prodnose. They discover what Wonka is up to and have Scrubbitt spike his chocolate, so nobody will buy it. Wonka is now ruined. The infuriated customers trash his store and Wonka is at his lowest point. Slugworth offers Wonka a deal. If Wonka leaves forever, he will pay off his and his friends debts to Scrubbitt and Bleacher. Feeling like he has no choice, Wonka agrees.
Meanwhile, as all this is going on, an Oompa Loompa named Lofty is following Wonka, saying that Wonka stole some cocoa beans from him and now Wonka must pay his debt. Wonka and Lofty narrowly avoid a death trap set by Slugworth and race back to help the others. Now together again, Wonka, Noodle, Crunch, Lottie, Piper, and Larry decide to go after Slugworth’s secret account book. Crunch had seen it once before, and knew that all of Slugworth’s crimes were recorded in it. They manage to get to the book and reveal to the whole town that Slugworth and Scrubbitt spiked Wonka’s chocolate. The movie ends with Wonka and Lofty getting a location to build Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Overall, I liked the movie. Wonka himself was naive, but endearing. There was just something wonderful about seeing such a happy, trusting character. His optimism was starting to rub off on me a bit. I felt myself smiling throughout the movie. It was clear that Wonka just wanted to sell his chocolate, so he could make people happy and feel closer to his mom. The music was fun and whimsical and the lyrics were catchy.
The only thing I didn’t like was that Wonka was blamed for spiking the chocolate. This is a personal preference, but I don’t like it when protagonists are blamed for a crime they didn’t commit.
Besides that, Wonka is a fun movie. It’s bright, colorful, and well written. I love how its sole purpose is to entertain. I would definitely watch it again.