WARNING!!!! Pointless rant in 3...2...1...
After re-watching it for the first time in years I was amazed at how I could've missed such a glaring part of the plot, that Grandpa Joe is the VILLAIN of this film!! I guess that since I originally saw this film as a child that I didn't notice it, but I've seen this movie a few times now recently since it was on seemingly every day during the week leading up to Christmas and my kids watched it every time it was on, but Grandpa Joe has GOT to be the biggest POS in the universe!!
First, did no one realize that he was supposedly bedridden for 20 YEARS!!??!!?? That was longer than Charlie had been alive that that man (along with his wife and his daughters in-laws) had been leeching off of his daughter (and I have to assume her husband) - not working, but requiring his child to support him working her fingers to the bone in some dank wash house to support this lazy a-hole. All the while cooking, caring for, and cleaning up after him, even likely emptying his bed pan which is very visible lying under his side of the bed.
He puts himself ahead of the others - their family is starving, yet his daughter always leaves aside some money for Joe's 'tobacco' so that he can enjoy a well-deserved, relaxing smoke while the rest of the family is malnourished and sustaining on cabbage water and moldy bread.
He encourages Charlie to steal part one- in the scene when Charlie shows up with the loaf of bread he bought after being paid to deliver papers, Charlies Mom questions where he had gotten the bread and Grandpa Joe's response is "Who cares how he got it, so long as he got it?"
The moment Charlie finds the Golden Ticket and invites Joe to go with him on the factory tour, not only can Grandpa Joe miraculously walk, the man can sing and dance too, hopping around the room and clicking his heels in the air. If he were my Dad and I had slaved to support his lazy arse for 20 years when he was obviously fully capable of maintaining a job, all the while raising a child as a single parent and caring for 3 other supposed "invalids", I'd have throat punched him. He then begins singing "I've got a Golden Tick-et" clearly believing Charlies good fortune to be his own and completely oblivious to the fact that it is actually Charlie's ticket.
He supports Wonka's perceived mistreatment of the other children; actively rooting on Wonka's punishment of the other kids.
He encourages Charlie to steal part two - during the scene in the fizzy-lifting drink portion of the tour, Grandpa Joe purposely asks Charlie to fall back so that they can "try" the drinks after the crowd has moved on despite Charlie's initial reluctance and Wonka's refusal to allow them to try it.
He wants Charlie to give the Gobstopper to Slugworth - when it becomes clear that Charlie will not receive the prize, Grandpa Joe angrily responds while leaving "if Slugworth wants an Everlasting Gobstopper, he'll get one" before Charlie, doing the right thing despite his Grandpa's influence, lays the gobstopper on Wonka's desk, effectively passing the final test and winning the prize - all because he defied evil Grandpa Joe's wishes.
...and in the final act of selfishness, when Wonka informs Charlie that he is giving him the factory and that he can move in immediately, Grandpa Joe's first response is "and me?" Selfishly worrying about himself and completely neglecting to ask about the others before Wonka interjects and invites the whole family to live in the factory.
What are your thoughts??
After re-watching it for the first time in years I was amazed at how I could've missed such a glaring part of the plot, that Grandpa Joe is the VILLAIN of this film!! I guess that since I originally saw this film as a child that I didn't notice it, but I've seen this movie a few times now recently since it was on seemingly every day during the week leading up to Christmas and my kids watched it every time it was on, but Grandpa Joe has GOT to be the biggest POS in the universe!!
First, did no one realize that he was supposedly bedridden for 20 YEARS!!??!!?? That was longer than Charlie had been alive that that man (along with his wife and his daughters in-laws) had been leeching off of his daughter (and I have to assume her husband) - not working, but requiring his child to support him working her fingers to the bone in some dank wash house to support this lazy a-hole. All the while cooking, caring for, and cleaning up after him, even likely emptying his bed pan which is very visible lying under his side of the bed.
He puts himself ahead of the others - their family is starving, yet his daughter always leaves aside some money for Joe's 'tobacco' so that he can enjoy a well-deserved, relaxing smoke while the rest of the family is malnourished and sustaining on cabbage water and moldy bread.
He encourages Charlie to steal part one- in the scene when Charlie shows up with the loaf of bread he bought after being paid to deliver papers, Charlies Mom questions where he had gotten the bread and Grandpa Joe's response is "Who cares how he got it, so long as he got it?"
The moment Charlie finds the Golden Ticket and invites Joe to go with him on the factory tour, not only can Grandpa Joe miraculously walk, the man can sing and dance too, hopping around the room and clicking his heels in the air. If he were my Dad and I had slaved to support his lazy arse for 20 years when he was obviously fully capable of maintaining a job, all the while raising a child as a single parent and caring for 3 other supposed "invalids", I'd have throat punched him. He then begins singing "I've got a Golden Tick-et" clearly believing Charlies good fortune to be his own and completely oblivious to the fact that it is actually Charlie's ticket.
He supports Wonka's perceived mistreatment of the other children; actively rooting on Wonka's punishment of the other kids.
He encourages Charlie to steal part two - during the scene in the fizzy-lifting drink portion of the tour, Grandpa Joe purposely asks Charlie to fall back so that they can "try" the drinks after the crowd has moved on despite Charlie's initial reluctance and Wonka's refusal to allow them to try it.
He wants Charlie to give the Gobstopper to Slugworth - when it becomes clear that Charlie will not receive the prize, Grandpa Joe angrily responds while leaving "if Slugworth wants an Everlasting Gobstopper, he'll get one" before Charlie, doing the right thing despite his Grandpa's influence, lays the gobstopper on Wonka's desk, effectively passing the final test and winning the prize - all because he defied evil Grandpa Joe's wishes.
...and in the final act of selfishness, when Wonka informs Charlie that he is giving him the factory and that he can move in immediately, Grandpa Joe's first response is "and me?" Selfishly worrying about himself and completely neglecting to ask about the others before Wonka interjects and invites the whole family to live in the factory.
What are your thoughts??
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