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Director: Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules)
Cast: Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 121 minutes
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THE SKINNY
A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Charming but it’s been done before.

THE FULL REVIEW
I realize that it’s a bit of a copout to pull a passage from my earlier review of Woman on Top and use it as the opening paragraph of this review of Chocolat. I am quite comfortable doing so, however, since the passage is entirely appropriate for this review and I am not plagiarizing anyone (I’m pretty sure one can’t plagiarize oneself). So, here it is…

Over the past several years a number of movies have been released in which food and its magical ability to stir human emotions-most notably love and passion-has played a central role in the film’s story. Some of these films have been terrific (Like Water for Chocolate, Eat Drink Man Woman, and Big Night), some have been not so terrific (Woman on Top), and some have been just plain awful (Simply Irresistible). Chocolat, the latest effort from last year’s Oscar-nominated director of The Cider House Rules, Lasse Hallström, while certainly a much richer film than Woman on Top, is not quite special enough to be dubbed terrific.

Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche) and her young daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) move to a reserved French village and open up a chocolaterie just as lent is beginning. It isn’t long before Vianne’s irresistible chocolates and her equally irresistible affability have won over several of the villagers, including a crotchety old woman named Armande (Judi Dench) and a misunderstood and abused housewife named Josephine (Lena Olin). But, not all of the villagers are as accepting of Vianne as Armande and Josephine. The town’s obstinate mayor, Reynaud (Alfred Molina), is particularly determined to drive Vianne away. Things really get stirred up when Vianne befriends a handsome drifter named Roux (Johnny Depp) and welcomes him into the village.

If one were to judge Chocolat in a vacum, an argument could be made that it truly is deserving of the best picture Oscar nomination that it has received. Not only is the film’s screenplay quite charming, but it delivers an entirely positive message about tolerance without being overly preachy. In addition, Chocolat features strong acting from Juliette Binoche, Judi Denche, Johnny Depp and Lena Olin, as well as a standout performance from Alfred Molina. Finally, the scenic yet quaint French village in which the film is set makes it rather easy for viewers of Chocolat to be swept away, if only for a brief two hours, from their harried lives. And after all, isn’t that what movies are for.

It would be wrong, however, to judge this film without placing it in its proper context. Despite all of its strengths, Chocolat cannot escape the fact that, at its core, it is simply the latest movie in a tiring genre of films that have made use of food as a central plot device (the most recent wave of these “food films” began with 1987’s Babette’s Feast).

Don’t get me wrong, Chocolat is certainly entertaining. But while watching the film, you are likely to feel as if you’ve seen most of it before. If you don’t feel that way, it’s only because the mighty Miramax marketing machine didn’t get to you when it brought Like Water for Chocolate to the U.S. just a few short years ago.

HIGHLIGHTS

*The chocolate
*The acting
*The scenery

LOWLIGHTS

*The food thing has been done to death

OTHER INFO

Nudity: None    Â
Violence: Minor
Humor: Several “cute” moments

By: Craig EttingerÂ