How odd to test-screen a film that’s not being released for another 15 months. That’s what’s about to occur early this week when Paul King’s “Wonka” gets test-screened for a selected audience.
Timothee Chalamet plays Wonka in yet another spinoff of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. The big lure for me here sure isn’t Chalamet, but King, who made those two fantastic “Paddington” movies.
This is supposed to be a prequel to ‘Charlie,’ tackling the early life of Willy Wonka. The rest of the cast is noteworthy: Sally Hawkins, Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant and Keegan Michael-Key.
Back to Chalamet, I know it’s absolutely sacrilege to say this, but he’s really not impressed me so far as an actor. Save for “Call Me By Your Name,” his performances tend to fall pretty flat or he just plain overacts.
Chalamet was fine in “Don’t Look Up” as J-Law’s stoned-out-of-his mind love interest. His supporting turn in “Lady Bird” was playfully simple. The problem with Chalamet is that I don’t see any range, it’s usually the same one-note delivery. He hasn’t really made anything that has truly challenged his chops.