Hershey

In Hershey (2026), director Mark Waters trades glossy mythmaking for a grounded, human-scale look at the ambition and vulnerability behind a world-famous chocolate empire. Rather than treating the brand as a monument, the film frames its origin as a lived story—full of uncertain bets, personal sacrifice, and the kind of stubborn optimism that can look like madness until it works.

At the center is Finn Wittrock, anchoring the drama with a performance that suggests a man propelled by equal parts vision and restlessness. Alexandra Daddario brings romantic tension and emotional ballast, shaping the film’s romance into more than a subplot: it becomes a pressure gauge for the larger dream, testing whether devotion to a person can survive devotion to a purpose.

The supporting cast rounds out the world with texture and wit. Alan Ruck, Richard Kind, and David Costabile add the push-and-pull of business, community, and consequence—voices that challenge the protagonist’s choices and reflect how big ideas ripple outward. Heléne Yorke, Michael Moreland, and Francesca Faridany help the period atmosphere feel inhabited rather than staged, giving the story social edges beyond boardrooms and factory floors.

What makes Hershey especially watchable is its refusal to reduce success to a single triumphant moment. The film leans into the drama of process: the setbacks that don’t make it into corporate legends, the relationships strained by relentless work, and the moral questions that follow when an enterprise grows faster than the people inside it can adapt.

For viewers drawn to drama with a warm, aching romance at its core, Hershey offers a story that’s recognizable without feeling predetermined. It’s less about a product than about the human hunger beneath it—the desire to build, to belong, and to leave behind something sweet enough to be remembered.