"Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" is a beloved children's classic movie with lots of nods to adult viewers, throughout. It certainly earns the eight stars I gave it, thanks in great part to the endearing musical score, composed by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. However, if we are going to be honest, and I think we should be, we need to see what's actually happening in this screenplay.
My first assertion is that there is only one redeeming character in this film: Charlie Bucket, as played by young towhead, Peter Ostrum. Literally every other character with a speaking part does something that proves they are selfish, thoughtless, manipulative (or manipulatable, which might be worse), greedy or just plain rotten. You wouldn't want to be around ANY of these people for any length of time. Seriously. That's extremely rare for a film that people generally like!
A quick aside. Some might argue that the Oompa-Loompas should be considered "redeeming characters." The reason why they are not is because they are, essentially, a "Greek Chorus." They are commenting on the actions of the characters, mostly without ever interacting with them at all.
But the more crucial thing to note about this film is that the main antagonist, the "bad guy" of the movie is Willy Wonka, himself! I've seen commentary that has suggested the other four Golden Ticket winners, or their parents or the obvious target, Jack Albertson's Grandpa Joe deserve to share the infamy. I get it, and Grandpa Joe is, in nearly every way, the most despicable parental figure in the film for many reasons (like, laying in bed for twenty years, then suddenly being capable of a song and dance production number to the tune, "I've Got a Golden Ticket" -- No, Joe, YOU don't have anything! That's Charlie's ticket!) so, let me briefly explain why this dishonor belongs completely to Willy Wonka.
First, Wonka has placed five Golden Tickets into his standard candy bars, offering the winners a tour of his factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Therefore, he is making all of this happen (at an incredible profit). Second, he is a saboteur. He hired a guy to pretend to be his rival, asking the winners to steal an Everlasting Gobstopper! Third, he pretends to be disabled, just for a sight gag. Fourth, he gets everyone inside of his factory and THEN shows them an enormous contract they must sign to continue. Additionally, much of the fine print is illegible. That leads to fifth, disqualifying each winner from receiving the prize, for breaking Wonka's unreadable rules.
Along the way, Wonka tempts the winners with things he knows they find irresistible (a piece of gum for Violet, a chance to be on television for Mike, etc.), never fully disclosing his intentions or goals. He used the ticket winners' interests to make them Guinea Pigs for his beta test level products, then punishes them when it all goes wrong. And he has a demonic boat!
Finally, the most atrocious element is why Wonka did all of this: he was looking for a protégé, a person whom he could train to do everything HIS way, so he could retire, knowing his replacement would robotically follow his instructions. Also Wonka was clearly not more than forty years old, and was doing a job he presumably loved. Why would or should he retire?
BUT, the reason why we forgive EVERYTHING can be summed up in two words: Gene Wilder.
Mr. Wilder's portrayal of the title character not only makes Wonka palatable, it makes all of his bad deeds so obscure, he's charming and loveable! That is an amazing testament to the actor and his genuine goodness and talent. Without Wilder, this movie would likely have been forgotten and certainly never would have had a real candy company founded, a film reboot, a Broadway musical and a prequel!
All hail Willy Wonka. All hail the amazing Gene Wilder.
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