The Fat Jokes in ‘Wonka’ Are Totally Tasteless

Following the endless British whimsy of the Paddington films, Paul King has turned his sights to the world of Willy Wonka. A prequel inspired by Roald Dahl’s novel, Wonka functions as an origin story for the legendary chocolatier (played here by Timothée Chalamet), long before golden tickets entered the picture. But this isn’t your parents’ Willy Wonka—this version does away with practically all the edge found in both its source material or previous adaptations.

The Willy Wonka most of us grew up with was charismatic and charming, yet unafraid to show a more malicious side. Gene Wilder’s Wonka, star of the 1971 film, seemed to take a particular delight every time one of the children visiting his factory suffered an unfortunate fate. But Chalamet's Wonka is as sweet as the confections he creates, without the bitter aftertaste. The same goes for most of Wonka, the film, with one exception: its cheap, worthless, unimaginative fat jokes.

Wonka’s fat jokes all focus on a single target—the film’s villain, the chief of police (Keegan-Michael Key), who does everything he can to stop Wonka from building his chocolate business. A criminal cartel of competing chocolate businesses bribes the chief with a practically infinite supply of their own cocoa-y goodness, in exchange for his help in stopping Wonka from building a business of his own. Yes, all it takes for a law enforcement offer to break the law he’s meant to enforce is some chocolate.

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