Rating of
3.5/4
Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.
TheWolf - wrote on 07/30/07
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was a movie that I relate very closely to my childhood. This is because in grade school when the teachers ran out of ideas and decided they needed a break they would set up a "movie time" and the majority of them would pick this movie for us to watch. While some might argue that it was because it teaches good morals in a very unusual way, I would tend to believe that it a was more or less the only movie they had at the school, and its probably because it fell out of some kids back pack and they never claimed it at the lost and found.
Gene Wilder puts on one of the best performances in this movie, while a lot of the movie doesn't take directly from the book, it does cover all of the key components and make sure that it stays as true to the idea that Roahl Dahl had intended when he wrote the story.
While none of the actors in this movie went on to be huge stars (this of course was a different time, and childhood stars didn't always rise from one successful film) they did manage to put on quite a performance. I have to admit I do enjoy it when there are a couple of known actors and a lot of very talented unknowns because it gives the audience the chance to see things a little differently, and it doesn't allow for much pigeon holing of one character type.
While somethings about this movie are a little dated, the story itself will be enough to hold the attention of kids for years to come.
