CHOCOLAT

2000

What a perfect film to see on Christmas Day, as we did. It's a feel-good fairy tale about how the curative, mysterious powers of chocolate can breath new life into the sedentary villagers in a picturesque French town. Everything about this film is magical, from the magnificent acting of Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench (another Oscar nomination?) Alfred Molina, Lena Olin, and Johnny Depp, to the incredible beauty of the town, the mesmerizing screenplay, and the wonderful melodic musical score. One of my five Best Films of the year!

5 Stars

NJB

Mmmmmmm... chocolate. Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench all give terrific performances, but the real star here is the chocolate. In a small town in France, it is the amazing chocolate brought by an outsider that frees a town from its timid, see-no-evil-hear-no-evil-speak-no-evil attitude and allows the townspeople to open their hearts and minds. As I already mentioned, strong performances by a great cast and one of the most charming and original screenplays of the year make this a favorite. Its also nice to see Carrie Anne Moss in a film where she isn't carrying a machine gun or trapped in a spaceship- she really can act!

4.5 Stars

CDF