Better Than Chocolate

Released 1990
Stars Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Anne-Marie MacDonald, Peter Outerbridge, Marya Delver, Kevin Mundy, Tony Nappo
Directed by Anne Wheeler

These days, there are enough gay and lesbian motion pictures in the marketplace that a movie's focus on a same-sex couple is no longer enough to accord that production (however well-intentioned) an audience - the film must also meet certain minimum criteria for basic quality. Twenty years ago, balanced and sensitive motion picture portrayals of homosexuals were few and far between. In the late '90s, they are becoming increasingly more common, and the level of craftsmanship is in a steady incline. As gay and lesbian movies enter the mainstream, a better and stronger product is resulting. That's why a fairly high profile effort like Better Than Chocolate is such a disappointment. This Canadian import offers the kind of unchallenging material that reminds us of the low standards that used to define movies about same-sex relationships. Better Than Chocolate features TV-style writing mixed with a few hot sex scenes. To enjoy the latter, however, it's necessary to endure the former.

Summary by James Berardinelli 

This is a pleasant movie, but it's completely inconsequential. The characters are all likeable stereotypes, so it's not difficult to spend time with them, but the script is pretty lame. It needed to focus more on its great looking lesbian leads, Maggie and Kim, and show more of their blossoming relationship. The nude painting and shower at the beginning were pretty hot, but I needed more of these scenes and less of the rest. I did enjoy the neon dance number, though; I'm a sucker for those. --Bill Alward, September 20, 2003