Chocolat

Released 2000
Stars Juliette Binoche, Victoire Thivisol, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Hugh O'Conor, Lena Olin, Peter Stormare, Judi Dench, Carrie-Anne Moss
Directed by Lasse Hallström

The movie takes place "once upon a time" in a French village where utter tranquility, by which is meant stagnancy, has reigned since time immemorial, until "a sly wind blew in from the north," bringing with it Vianne (Juliette Binoche), who opened the chocolate shop, after which nothing was ever again the same. The movie is charming and whimsical, and Binoche reigns as a serene and wise goddess. Like Catherine Deneuve's, her beauty is not only that of youth, but will carry her through life, and here she looks so ripe and wholesome that her very presence is an argument against the local prudes. Vianne's chocolates contain magic ingredients like the foods in "Like Water for Chocolate," and soon her shop is a local healing center. Whether her character has deeper agendas, whether she is indeed a witch, as some believe, or a pagan priestess, as she seems to hint, is left unresolved by the movie--but anyone who schedules a fertility celebration up against Easter Sunday is clearly picking a fight.

Summary by Roger Ebert

"Best Picture of the Year" nominee? Say what? Yes, it was better than the tepid "Gladiator," but it was nowhere near the level of "Almost Famous." "Chocolat" is a safe, often-forced, warm and fuzzy flick about the almost magical uses of the cocoa bean. These uses were discovered by the Mayans, and Juliette Binoche continues the Mayan practices in 1959 "somewhere in France." This is not a bad film--it's just an average one. It essentially recycles "Like Water for Chocolate" and "Babette's Feast" and strives for a feel-good tone that most women will enjoy. I enjoyed it as well, but it didn't move me. It did make me hungry for chocolate, though. That must count for something.

"Chocolat" worked well within some of its cliches--notably the character of Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina). You have no story without a heavy, and we're given a mayor who wishes to maintain the status quo. What I like best about the story is how Reynaud isn't a bad man. He's overly pious and controlling, but his heart's in the right place. His position and family is steeped in history, and he feels it's his duty to maintain the moral code that's ruled the village for centuries. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, and he doesn't want to force his townspeople to maintain his level of piety. Instead, he tries to lead by example and to shepherd people in his direction. It's the treatment of this character that saves the film. Unfortunately, the ending is rushed and much too pat for its own good. This doesn't matter too much, since it maintains the film's superficial layer.

I was going to give it 3 stars, but I saw I gave Like Water for Chocolate 3 stars. Since that's a much better film, I have to give "Chocolat" 2 1/2. --Bill Alward, December 6, 2001