Everyone’s out to get Willy Wonka. The gullible chocolatiers’ business is sabotaged by con artists, killers and thieves. Yet he retains his optimistic nature. He brings joy to customers and empowers his new friends. This is not the story of a naïve man losing his innocence. You’ll see no trace of the cynical recluse from Roald Dahl’s story. In fact, the less you care about Dahl the more you’ll enjoy Wonka.

The crowded screenplay, by Simon Farnaby and Paul King, juggles five sidekicks, seven villains, quirky towns folk and Hugh Grants’ acerbic Oompa Loompa. The title character gets lost in the shuffle. Timothée Chalamet seems uncomfortable with Wonka’s showmanship. He’ll force zaniness in one scene, then default to his mumblecore charms in the next two. He’s happier playing straight man for hammy character actors. Neil Hannon’s songs are tailored to Chalamet’s slight singing voice. But the chorus and visuals upstage him in his big numbers.

The story is full of incidents and hijinks. The villains provide plenty of conflict. The realistic violence they inflict on the heroes is disturbing. There’s not much in the way of character development. Calah Lane’s abused urchin learns to smile again. Wonka’s colleagues gain a begrudging respect for him. But Wonka and his foes arrive with their personalities fully formed.

Don’t look too hard for a moral. Wonka’s “good” capitalist exposes “bad” capitalists, a brutal cop, and a corrupt church. The film insists his only sin is his trusting nature. He’s never chided for dangerous inventions or his plans for a chocolate monopoly. You’ll find no takedown of the cocoa industries human rights violations. If you anticipate his child maiming factory tour then Wonka feels like sinister propaganda. If you can ignore all that, then you’ll find it a harmless holiday trifle.

You can find more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.