Knee-jerk review: "Wonka"

1. We weren't necessarily interested.  This was a Cheese Fry family decision.
2. And yet... we're happy to report that it's a whimsical delight on every level.  Top notch.
3. Family lore has it that Roald Dahl's Charlie and Chocolate Factory was the first book of fiction we read, circa 4th grade in 1982.  The 1971 movie with Gene Wilder is certainly memorable and embraces Dahl's crueler instincts ("You're turning violet, Violet!"), while the 2005 Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie is the sort of oddball visual spectacle - fun, yes, but also kind of cold and remote - you'd expect from those two.
4. Bonus points for avoiding the obvious angle of forcing Willy Wonka to have some kind of love interest.  If there's another popular literary character who's this asexual, we don't know who it might be.
5. The Victorian-era, Dickensian look and feel of the movie is fully developed and wholly immersive.  This is a fairy tale world of dirty street orphans (and the rich snobs who hate them), rundown boarding houses, and secret getaways using giant city sewer pipes. 
6. That is to say, don't go here looking for gritty realism.
7. We're not much of a Timothee Chalamet fan (the same can most definitely not be said for the older Cheese Fry daughter, who muttered "he's so fine" on the car ride home), but he's pitch perfect here.  Is Wonka a genius in on the joke of it all or a weirdo who's completely clueless?
8. We didn't love the business with the giraffe, but we acknowledge it provided a moment for Wonka and his teenaged sidekick Noodle to bond.
9. The quirky plot turns and magic realism details were more than enough to make this movie work, but we appreciate the filmmakers' effort in digging a little deeper into the backstories of Wonka and Noodle, both lonely orphans dreaming of seeing their mother again.  The ending provided an unexpected emotional catharsis.
10. We will never forget the phrase "Yeti sweat."
11. Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa is, of course, awesome.  Plus for the hardcore fans we get a cute call back to the Oompa Loompa-related flute riff from the Gene Wilder movie.
12. We were a little disappointed the Everlasting Gobstopper didn't make an appearance.  Maybe that's something for the next movie, which we're very much interested in seeing.
13. We didn't immediately recognize the name of writer-director Paul King and for that, we are embarrassed.  He's also responsible for the two Paddington movies (20014 and 2017), which are similarly polished and winning.  He's got the goods.

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