CHARLIE
& THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
by Jane Louise
Boursaw
Rated
PG for quirky situations, action and mild language. 118 minutes. Directed by
Tim Burton. Released in theaters July 15, 2005.
This movie, based on the classic Roald Dahl book of the same name, tells
the story of Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), whose family is so poor
that they live in a house that leans crazily in all directions. Cabbage
soup is the nightly fare, and all four of Charlie's grandparents sleep
in the same big bed in the middle of the room. His mom (Helena Bonham
Carter) and dad (Noah Taylor) keep the home fires burning, despite there
being no firewood to be had anywhere.
The
Buckets live in the shadow of Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory, where
Charlie's Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) worked many moons ago. One day, the
eccentric Wonka (Johnny Depp) announces a contest. Five lucky children
who find golden tickets in their Wonka Bars will be allowed inside the
fabled factory, along with an adult. Of course, Charlie finds one (not
without suspense), and he and Grandpa Joe appear at the factory on the
big day. Inside, nasty and frightening things happen to the other four
children, who are all brats in their own way. Only the likeable Charlie,
always hopeful and decent, is spared from these awful events.
THE
WRAP-UP: I've been ruminating on this movie since I saw it last
week, and I still don't quite know what to say about it. It's
entertaining, and the factory
is,
in one way, a wondrous delight of sugary landscapes -- chocolate rivers,
gumdrop trees and pink candy boats -- and the hard-working, musical
Oompa-Loompas (all played by Deep Roy, thanks to the magic of digital
imaging).
In another
way, however, the factory is a nightmare, waiting to gobble up any kid
who steps out of line. And Depp's dapper Wonka -- who at various times
channels Michael Jackson, Carol Channing, Carol Burnett, and Dustin
Hoffman's Tootsie -- doesn't seem to care about their fate and, in fact,
relishes it. He's downright creepy.
Keep in mind
this is director Tim Burton's take on the book, and his movies generally
have that creepy undertone, including the upcoming "Corpse Bride" (and
this is supposedly a kid's movie?!). Can you tell I'm not a fan?
But I guess
the real lesson in "Charlie" is that good things come to good kids, and
bad things come to bad kids. And the joy in this movie is not the weird
Wonka and his creepy candy factory, it's the brave Charlie and his
true-blue relationship with his family, even though they have only
cabbage to eat.
As for young
viewers, I think it's ok for kids ages 8 and up. Younger kids might be
scared by Wonka and his factory antics.
SCORE:
2.5 out of 4 Reels.
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel Pathetic.
Even The Force cant save it.
Two Reels
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels
Pleasant. Something to talk about.
Four Reels Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies!
Read my other reviews
here.
