Review: A winning Timothée Chalamet, less sly than sweet, turns ‘Wonka’ into his own playground

“Wonka,” the new musical origin story of everyone’s favorite chocolatier, is a lot like the confections our protagonist conjures: We don’t need chocolate, but how can we resist such a tantalizing treat? We don’t need a musical origin story of Willy Wonka, but how can we not chomp down on this whimsical and wonderful tale, crafted by “Paddington” and “Paddington 2” auteur Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet? Don’t even try to say no. Just enjoy the indulgence.

Working with “Paddington 2” screenwriter Simon Farnaby, King puts his own stamp on the lore of Wonka, much in the same way that Tim Burton applied his sensibility to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in 2005 with Johnny Depp. That performance was a departure from the representation of Willy Wonka with which we are most familiar: Gene Wilder in the 1971 version, directed by Mel Stuart, adapted from the beloved Roald Dahl novel. And Chalamet delivers his own take here as well.

Chalamet’s Wonka is innocent and deeply earnest. He is mischievous, like Depp’s and Wilder’s depictions, but while Depp was quirky and fey, and Wilder was sly and sarcastic, Chalamet’ doesn’t have an ounce of guile. His guard isn’t up yet when he lands in an unnamed European city, which is seemingly equal parts London, Paris and Geneva, or maybe Brussels.

Willy Wonka arrives singing, an unambiguous announcement that this is, in fact, a straight-faced movie musical. The songs are by the pop artist Neil Hannon, though none quite reach the heights of “Pure Imagination,” the mysteriously magical song sung by Wilder in the 1971 film, which we wait and wait for Chalamet to unleash. (Don’t worry, he does.)

Timothée Chalamet, left, and Hugh Grant in the movie “Wonka.”

(Jaap Buittendijk / Warner Bros. Pictures)

Willy dreams of making his fortune as a proprietor of a sweets store in the Galeries Gourmet, delighting patrons with creative concoctions that have wild side effects. But a preexisting cartel of candymen have throttled the competition, bribing law enforcement with treats to keep Wonka from operating, and controlling the flow of chocolate in the city. Willy also gets trapped in a disastrous contract at the local lodging house, run by a Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman), whose predatory terms and conditions on her loans — yes, this is what ‘Wonka’ is about — result in her guests becoming indentured servants in the laundry, a group that includes an adorable poppet nicknamed Noodle (Calah Lane).

Though Willy doesn’t seem to possess a mean bone in his body (yet), there is a streak of darkness that winds through this river of fun. We can giggle at the chocolate cartel but fundamentally “Wonka” is a story about the haves and the have-nots, the consequences of hoarding resources and structural social inequalities. As Noodle likes to say, “the greedy beat the needy,” and thus, “Wonka” becomes a film about class consciousness and the redistribution of wealth. The unspoken tragedy of it all is that we know that sometime in the future, Wonka will become a reclusive hoarder himself.

There’s a distinctly British sensibility to the humor: King and Farnaby come from the U.K. comedy scene and pay homage to the long lineage of English comic icons with a role for Rowan Atkinson, a.k.a. Mr. Bean. It’s funny and arch, set against a visually dense Technicolor world. The costumes and sets are so beautifully made, it’s a bit of a shame when the film overrelies on computer-generated effects and stunts, including a miniaturized performance by Hugh Grant as the Oompa-Loompa Lofty, even if his turn is winning.

There may have been skepticism about “Wonka,” but there’s no need to worry all that much, especially not about Chalamet, who gives himself over fully to the wonderment and vocal demands of the role. See it and enjoy it for what it is: a playful, heart-tugging take on a beloved character that’s smarter than it lets on.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.