Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Bright, spirited, and edgy version of Willy Wonka.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this colorful kids' adventure -- like the book -- includes some intense scenes. Obnoxious children are ridiculed visually and in words by the Oompah Loompahs and dispatched. One girl blows up into a giant blueberry, another boy is sucked into a tube, the other girl is attacked and pinned down by squirrels who proceed to throw her down a garbage chute. In one early scene, dolls burn up and their eyeballs pop out. The movie is much closer in dark tone to the book than its cinematic predecessor. Willy Wonka himself seems to disdain families.

  • Several kids and parents are repeatedly rude, narcissistic, and unpleasant.
  • Some physical and emotional abuses of mean children; Willy has mildly scary flashbacks of his dentist father, featuring horrible headgear for his braces.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

Young Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) wins a chance to tour Willy Wonka's (Johnny Depp) chocolate factory, with four other children, when he purchases a chocolate bar that has a "golden ticket" inside. The group of children and guardians tour the factory, where they will see the top-secret, magical processes by which Willy Wonka makes his delicious candy. Specifically, they see the Oompa Loompas (all played by a digitally multiplied and reduced Deep Roy) make the candy and mete out judgments against misbehaving children.


Is it any good?

 

Each child-parent set in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY reveals its dysfunction. Portrayed in broad, cartoonish strokes, the kids' cruelties serve as comedy, though they're not always funny. Indeed, the non-Charlie children are so loathsome that their various "punishments" seem deserved. These are staged as song-and-dance numbers by the Oompa Loompas, modeled after scenes that some parents will recall from other venues, for instance, Esther Williams musicals, the Who's guitar-smashing rock shows, Hair, Psycho, 2001, The Fly, and even Burton and Depp's Edward Scisssorhands, in Willy's flashbacks to his troubled relationship with his dentist father (Christopher Lee). There are some current-day references, some of which fail miserably (the Oprah appearance comes to mind), while others are merely annoying and serve to break the film's dreamlike power.

The film's strangeness is often fun, in particular Depp's white-faced makeup, frisky line readings (check his explanation: "Everything in this room is eatable; even I'm eatable, but that's called cannibalism and frowned on in most societies"), and weird affect. But the narrative rhythms are uneven, and Charlie, especially, is undeveloped, more an emblem of goodness than a full-on character. While the novel maintains a more or less steady focus through Charlie's perspective of all these crazy goings-on, the film is less coherent. It skips about to cover multiple storylines, including Willy's memories and the four bad children's separate exploits, all eventually pulled together by Charlie's good-boy summary of what matters most, his cozy family.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about Willy's difficulties with his dentist father. How does his fear of his father's disapproval lead him to rebel? How does Charlie's good relationship with his parents and grandparents allow him to feel self-confident, trusting, and generous? How does the film compare Charlie (as the good child) with bad children (rich, spoiled, greedy, materialistic)? How does the movie show that selfish, silly parents produce selfish, silly children?


This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
i laughed
tHIS MOVIE IS SOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY! KIDS LOVED IT.

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Kid, 12 years old
January 7, 2011
 
I liked it... I mean I didn't absolutely love but I liked it. The kids in the movie (other than Charlie) are spoiled little brats. I put the movie iffy for 7+ since it's pretty creepy (I saw it when I was around 6 or 7 and it creeped me out a little.) Charlie's a great role model since he puts his family first and he's a really sweet kid! Pretty much all the scenes that include the Bucket family send out good messages. I don't mind this movie it's just not the best.

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Teen, 16 years old
September 9, 2010
 
Oh Johnny Depp, you never seise to cause chaos...
It was very good, and very very VERY strange. I like the origional and this one equally. Here's the deal: If you grew up watching the first one, you may have some angry opinions on this film, which is understandable. Charlie is the poorest of the group that enters Willy Wonka's factory, and he actually is hardly noticed, but when he speaks up its a smart and interesting opinion, which catches Wonka's eye. The rest, well Wonka think are annoying little brats and he tries to hold in his rude comments (though quite afew slip out) I thought it was funny actually. The other kids ARE brats, but its all in humar, and they will get just as they deserve (none die of course, that would be unsanitary!) Its something I'd allow my kids to watch, I guess the word "hell" slipped through my ears when I saw this though. Its colorful and funny though, so I'm almost pretty a little bit sure your kids may love it. And it has some of my favorite actors! (Johnny Depp, AnnaSophia Rob, Helena Bonham Carter, and the boy that played Charlie who's name I forgot) I'll put down "Bad Language" down for the "h" word, and bad role models and messages for the constant candy eating and rude kids, for GOOD messages, Charlie is good and cares about his family, and Wonka's dad insisted that candy would be bad for his teeth, and the bratty kids end up getting a little song played in their honor when they are stuck in an unrulely situation.

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Teen, 18 years old
February 7, 2011
 
Doesn't Beat the Original
Eh, it was alright. I don't think it was as good as the 1970s version. In this one, Willy Wonka was strange. Well, I mean, the character is supposed to be eccentric, but this depiction mildly creeped me out. Gene Wilder is a tough act to follow.

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Teen, 16 years old
May 28, 2010
 
The movie is not as good as the original, but better actor as Charlie
the only thing I really liked about this movie is the kid who played Charlie, he always plays the good roles in each movie he's in!

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Kid, 11 years old
June 12, 2011
 
A great movie from a great book

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Teen, 16 years old
April 22, 2011
 
Tim's Chocolately Twist to a Classic
This Wonka is not quite as lovable as Wilder's Wonka. As is very little as good as the 1971 classic. The children accept Charlie are even nastier, and everything's modernized. Still, it's entertaining as almost a twist on the original, and with Tim Burton's directing.

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Teen, 14 years old
March 26, 2011
 
A dark version to the old Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, but just as good and even better
I still can't believe that the chocolateer is Johnny Depp, but I guess that just proves how good of an actor he is. If your reading this and your an adult, you can obviously tell this is a bit more twisted the old film you watched when you were a kid. This may cause the parents not to enjoy this as much as the kids will.

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Kid, 13 years old
November 7, 2010
 
Amazing. just wow.
This totally overrules the old Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!! I love it! Put Tim Burton, (an amazing director of many famous movies), and Johnny Depp (the best actor EVER) together and you got the best well put movie ever! The storyline is pretty much the same as the book and previous movie, and has a bright, preppy side, which will catch many audiences eyes! There is very impressive acting, and I love the end! This is a great movie that is DEFINATLY WORTH WATCHING!!!!

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Kid, 10 years old
September 5, 2011
 
drama horror
scary but cool

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This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Topics:magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters, misfits and underdogs
Studio:Warner Bros.
Director:Tim Burton
Cast:Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:115 minutes
Theatrical release date:July 15, 2005
DVD release date:November 8, 2005
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:quirky situations, action, and mild language

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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