If it sort of feels like Timothée Chalamet is everywhere at the moment, it’s not just you. From his newly revealed December 2025 Vogue cover, which features the young heartthrob posing like a god standing atop a planet (in what also marks Anna Wintour’s final issue as Vogue’s longtime editor-in-chief), to the anticipation around his upcoming A24 film “Marty Supreme,” the actor certainly has plenty on his plate right now. And for anyone wanting something to watch of Chalamet’s, there’s also one of his more whimsical feature films that’s just come back into the spotlight.
“Wonka,” which earned more than $634 million worldwide and sports a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, has recently landed on Netflix, where it’s ready and waiting for anyone in need of a comfort watch — or, at least, a family-friendly sort of blockbuster. It’s also worth noting that it will only be available to stream on the service until November 30, so act fast if you want to watch it.
Willy Wonka gets a second life on Netflix
In terms of the plot of “Wonka,” it features a young and optimistic candy-maker arriving in Europe and determined to share his chocolate with the world. In his attempt to do so, however, he encounters scoundrels who include con artists and even a chocolate “cartel.” Olivia Colman plays a woman who traps Wonka in a cycle of debt, while Hugh Grant plays a scene-stealing Oompa-Loompa.
There’s an overall storybook feel here — an unapologetically earnest tone — that doesn’t try to reinvent the eccentric oddball version of Wonka from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” so much as flesh out the backstory in the form of a classic musical. I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of Chalamet as my first choice to play Wonka, but in hindsight, the choice rather feels like an inspired one; Chalamet makes you believe in Wonka’s kindness and magic touch that all somehow stops just shy of being corny.
Director Paul King’s prequel is just one of several Chalamet flicks to binge on Netflix at the moment, including the historical drama “The King,” as well as the politically-minded “Don’t Look Up.” Like a delectable chocolate confection, though, it’s “Wonka” that the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus suggests is perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good delight — thanks to the way the movie “puts a suitably sweet spin on the classic character.”
