Hammerle on… ‘Wonka’ and ‘American Fiction’

“Wonka”

“Wonka” overcomes some obvious weaknesses with some fine acting and a plot that will keep you glued to the screen. Timothée Chalamet plays Willy Wonka, a young man trying to start a chocolate factory. He has little money and is inspired by his late, loving mother (Sally Hawkins).

The movie serves as a prequel to the earlier films. Wonka falls under the control of Mrs. Scrubbit, an evil innkeeper played in an unrecognizable role by Oscar winner Olivia Coleman. She has tricked several people into becoming her servants with lifelong contracts.

Wonka is inspired by a number of his fellow inmates to break out of poverty. Let me just name Calah Lane as Noodle and Hugh Grant as the midget Lofty. Grant is charming as an Oompa Loompa and he overcomes his initial desire to see Wonka die at sea to help him achieve his dreams.

Ms. Lane’s Noodle is an orphan captive that becomes a friend and ally of Wonka. They encourage each other to follow Wonka’s mother’s inspiring motivation to follow their dreams. It will bring a tear to your eye as you watch Ms. Hawkins, a deceased Mom, blow a kiss to her son near the end of the film.

There are some nasty thugs played by Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas and Paterson Joseph who control all business in Wonka’s new city. Helped by a nasty priest (Rowan Atkinson), they are willing to kill Wonka if he continues to find a way to make and sell his chocolates.

This is the conflict that you watch develop. Giving nothing away you will be relieved to learn that the good guys prevail as the bad guys are held accountable.

Let me close by noting that Wonka rewards his friends by giving them a piece of a chocolate bar that his mother gave him to inspire hope. You leave the theatre with a smile, feeling that you were able to consume one remaining piece.

“American Fiction”

A thought-provoking film that also proves to be entertaining. See it, as you will not be disappointed.

While exposing the racial prejudice in the book world, it also focuses on family life as we age. Jeffrey Wright, in an Oscar worthy performance, plays a writer and professor whose world has become boring. Forced to take a leave of absence, he leaves California to visit his family in Boston that he hasn’t seen in years.

Reeling from watching his physician sister die while having lunch, a physician brother who announces he is gay and an Alzheimer impaired mother, he is haunted by the reality that his books are not selling. Searching for a way out of Boston, he writes a nasty book … under a pen name that describes black life in America. Posing as an ex-con in phone interviews, he is offered substantial fees by white book publishers that propels him into the heart of racial madness that he claims to despise.

While I could go on, I don’t want to spoil the story filled with great actors. Let me just say that this is a powerful film that unfortunately loses its energy with a disappointing ending. Yet it proves to be a widely inventive film that you need to see.•

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Robert Hammerle specializes in criminal law as of counsel with Hackman Hulett LLP. When he is not in the courtroom or the office, Bob can likely be found at one of his favorite movie theaters preparing to review the latest films. To read more of his reviews, visit www.bigmouthbobs.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.