More “Chocolate Factory” Comments

In my earlier review of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," I promised to offer further thoughts and insights about the movie.

While the film was, indeed, visually striking and entertaining, it also contained some sarcastic, sinister undertones.

For example, Willy Wonka’s Johnny Depp is a curious mix. He’s unbalanced, unstable and almost Michael Jackson-ish on the one hand and yet completely uncaring and insensitive when child after child falls to a frightening fate.

Even so, Depp’s character has a sweet underside, too. His development has been stalled, in large part, because his famous dentist dad wasn’t doting enough.

But, come on, his father’s big sin was throwing out his child’s Halloween candy and not being supportive of his love for chocolate? (Gimme a break! That’s rather sad to equate chocolate deprivation with withholding love.)

There’s another unsettling element to the movie, too. Depp’s character is basically the mouthpiece for promoting chocolate. He says it "triggers endorphins, which gives one the feeling of being in love." While this may be true, this is a simplistic statement that belies the real reaction from eating lots of chocolate — you could get a major low-blood sugar letdown within a couple of hours. (And if you eat too much over time, other health hazards could result.)

Meanwhile, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" also includes some welcome anti-obesity messages. In fact, when children are gluttonous, greedy or ill-behaved, they get punished, and you applaud.

The annoying, spoiled girl gets attacked by squirrels, who deem her a "bad nut" and shove her down the garbage dumpster. The fat boy — who can’t stop eating chocolate — is sucked up into a chute and disappears into the bowels of the chocolate factory. The obnoxious girl who disobeys and chomps on Wonka’s new product — a gum that’s a three-course meal — balloons into a blue ball and has to be rolled out the door.

Ultimately, though, the film is uplifting, and even inspiring, because it presents redemption of a sort by stressing the value of family, love, and sharing family meals. So I recommend it, even if chocolate plays a starring role.