Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Warner Brothers, 2005
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Johnny Depp, David Kelly, Helena Bonham-Carter
Director: Tim Burton
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Plot Summary: A young, poor boy named Charlie wins a contest and joins four other children in a tour of a great, mysterious chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka, the greatest chocolate maker in the world.
Based on the book written by Roald Dahl, this second try at the material is slightly darker and more immediate than the 1971 movie. But it basically follows the same story. A young boy named Charlie (Highmore) lives in the shadow of the chocolate factory in a very patchwork house with all of his immediate family, including grandparents. His chance to get inside the mysterious place (nobody has ever been seen going in and out except for delivery trucks with darkened windows) swings around when the owner, Willy Wonka, makes a rare appearance on TV to declare a contest. He has placed a golden ticket in five chocolate bars, and those whom find the tickets will get a chance to visit the factory and learn all his secrets.
Unfortunately Charlie's family is very poor and they can only afford one candy bar, purchased on his birthday. Winners start to appear. There is Augustus Gloop, a very fat glutton who apparently eats sweets all day. Next is Veruca Salt, the spoiled brat of a very rich father. Then there is Violet Beauregarde, champion gum chewer and athletic superstar. And Mike Teavee (the last name is cute), a video-game fanatic and arrogant brainiac. Charlie is, of course, normal and the thematic center of the movie. I don't think I'm giving anything away in telling you that he does, indeed, win the fifth ticket.
The other kids are accompanied by their weird parents while Charlie is taken in by his grandfather Joe (Kelly), who used to work in the factory before everyone was fired. How does Willy Wonka make all that chocolate without an apparent staff? A good question. It's answered when Willy Wonka himself (Depp) greets the kids and their parents and escorts them into his place. More than a little stiff and distant among others, he cuts a strange and vaguely disturbing figure. But he certainly has imagination, which he proudly shows off inside his magical factory.
Each of the other kids are shown the door through the tour one by one, displaying their fatal character flaws in the process. Charlie is left at the end. All familiar, but I enjoyed the updated factory. Any number of visual puns abound, and the history of the Oompa-Loompas is given in an amusing flashback. As stated above, this offering is slightly darker than the previous movie. I enjoyed this movie, and of course actor Depp is one of my favorites. Only his back story is weak, offering a stern and commanding dentist father (Christopher Lee). Otherwise this is great fun and an enjoyable time.
