The new Wonka trailer is something of a class war
Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, and Keegan-Michael Key, premieres December 15
Film News Wonka
What makes Willy Wonka such a maverick? It’s not his inventive confections, nor his inventive wardrobe, nor his inventive methods of torturing naughty children. No, what really sets Mr. Wonka apart is his willingness to sell chocolate at reasonable prices affordable to the working class. At least, so goes the lore in the latest trailer for Wonka, the Timothée Chalamet-led origin story premiering in theaters December 15.
Chalamet’s young Wonka is up against the chocolate cartel (yes, that’s actually how this movie is referring to his competition), a group of posh pricks who literally gag at the word “poor.” This is a story about following your dreams, and also about how capitalist market forces will attempt to crush you through possibly violent means, with the assistance of the state, should you endeavor to undercut its prices. See: Keegan-Michael Key’s comical policeman sticking Wonka’s face under icy water and giving him a “bonk on the head” to threaten him out of selling chocolate in this town.
But Wonka will not be deterred. He’s a dreamer, an inventor, a chocolatier, and “something of a magician.” His Oompa Loompa friend (Hugh Grant), meanwhile, is “something of a whopper” (in other words, he’s tall by Oompa Loompa standards). Other Oompa Loompa’s call him Lofty, but maybe they should call him Lush, because his deal is that he likes to cart around a fully stocked liquor cabinet that he can sleep in, and threatens to poke Willy “quite viciously” with a cocktail stick. Poor Wonka, besieged on all sides!
Wonka, directed by Paddington’s Paul King, is a movie musical, though once again we don’t hear any singing in the trailer (except Grant’s take on the classic Oompa Loompa tune). King previously gushed about Chalamet’s “beautiful singing voice” and compared his performance to Bing Crosby. We can’t yet assess the accuracy of that observation for ourselves since we still haven’t heard Chalamet’s vocals, but there is a bit of dancing and some dazzling set pieces to appreciate in the clip.
33 Comments
“his deal is that he likes to cart around a fully stocked liquor cabinet that he can sleep in”Well I finally found out what I want to do when I grow up!
“Oompa, Loompa, doopity-do,Why am I now seeing two of you?”
Is it just me or is “From the Producers of” a red flag in movie trailers?
I find the tag to be meaningless at best in ordinary contexts. I’m sure a small number of producers actually care enough about the art they invest in to try and make only good stuff, but the overwhelming majority are looking for investment returns, and not good movies. They might as well go with “from the Saudi Prince who hopes to make a similar profit here as he did off of Fast X”.That said, this particular one does carry its own baggage, particularly as they’re trying to sell a magical world full of wonder and I’m just not buying it at all.
It just seems like they want to put another recognizable IP into the trailer.
I don’t have high hopes for this.
It’s a weird line to sell the film on considering that they could have gone with “From the writers and director of Paddington 2″.
Paddington 2 is dope.
I guess I’ll get it on bluray at Best BuyBREAKING! Best Buy just dropped a bombshell! In 2024 Best Buy will stop selling CDs, DVDs, Bluray and Video Games on disc. They will only sell digital codes. 😲 A sign of the times.
This is a real “common clay of the new west” take
I can’t read what’s written on his mug, but I’m willing to bet it’s something stupid.
… people of the land. You know … morons.
Gene Wilder you mean?
Man, Josh Brolin has really fallen on hard times.
I’m sorry sir, this is insults. Arguments is down the hall.
Certainly, if you’ll just take a seat in the debate chamber waiting room here, we’ll be right back.(Nurse, get the electroshock therapy kit and the lobotomiser. We’ve got another one.)
You can’t argue with stupid.
Ew lol no
Timothee Chalamet is doing a good performance but from the trailers he looks like he lacks that extra oomph to be Wonka.
“he likes to cart around a fully stocked liquor cabinet that he can sleep in”Pretty sure I saw this in Skymall.
So there are two possible reviews:1. This is a travesty on so many levels. What a waste of all the talent assembled for this film. The money they spent on this piece of shit could have been spent to help heal the planet.
2. A triumph. If you had any fears that this would shit all over Gene Wilder’s beloved classic like that person who diarrheaed all over that plane then you can put those rears to rest. This will make you forget Gene Wilder ever existed.
“Diarrhea…rears to rest.” Heh heh.
Gene who? [ducks for cover]
Why is it surprising that the film actually uses the term chocolate “cartel”?It’s a pretty standard term when discussing multiple business interests combining with a common goal. It’s not like it’s a Spanish word for “dangerous drug trafficking organization.”
It boggles the mind that the premise of this movie is that it can be difficult to sell chocolate. Which is NEVER true.
True, but chocolate was originally sold as grout. It wasn’t until 1937 that the substance use to fill the spaces between tiles in the London Underground was discovered to be not only edible but delicious.
That is… incredibly untrue, people have been eating and drinking chocolate for literally thousands of years. And if you’re just going by European usage, for hundreds of years.
You need to read (or watch the movie of ) The Chocolate War!
The word cartel is the modern version of the word marijuana from when a cartel of American businesses decided to crush the hemp industry. It’s pretty firmly entrenched in probably 40%+ of Americans that cartel = scary Mexicans (that includes the ignorance that drug cartels exist everywhere but the Fox viewer still calls them Mexican).
It’s a bit like how non-Germans are amazed that Führer is a normal German word meaning “leader” and hasn’t been erased from the language just because Hitler liked to call himself “the leader”.
this…thing should not exist.
Who’s idea was it to take Willy freaking Wonka and make it dull and drab?