Lasse Hallstrom’s (The Cider House Rules, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape) brings a fresh taste to a small, mythical French village in 1959 in his new film Chocolat. This fictitious fable delivers a gentle, kind, and uniquely original message. Its peculiar characters, everyone-knows-everyone small-town vibe, new neighbor intrigue, and sympathetic humor mix together more sweetly than the many chocolate recipes created by the film’s protagonist, Vianne (Juliette Binoche – The English Patient, Dan in Real Life).
This is a hard movie to review because it is not like a normal movie I review. Typically, dramedies set in small, mythical French towns are movies I turn off by the 15-minute mark, if I even turn them all on. So, while there are some good movies out there, I’m sure they aren’t exactly my cup of tea.
In Chocolat, drifter Vianne closes the shop in her previous home and sets out for said village with her young daughter to open a Chocolatier of all things, during Lent of all times, in a strict, Catholic community of all places. Instantly, there becomes a conflict of interest between Vianne and the overly straitlaced mayor, Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina – An Education, Spider-Man 2). He doesn’t like the Chocolatier, but there is only so much he can do about it except to intimidate the patrons. Our primary conflict lies in this, but many sub-stories are also involved. These involve Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal, Philomena) as a crusty 70-year-old lotus-eater and Lena Olin (Enemies: A Love Story, Mr. Jones) as a terrorized wife who finds refuge at the Chocolatier. Peter Stormare (FOX’s Prison Break) is her alcoholic fool of a husband, and Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow, Black Mass) is a jaunty Irish rover who develops a bit of a case of wanderlust as Vianne.
Chocolat is a kind-hearted fable of love and acceptance, seasoned with the poignancy of human frailty, sweetened by the magic of everyday life, and brimming on top with human kindness. Binoche, Molina, and Depp are the superstars in this film. Still, the entire cast is on the same page in this under-the-radar movie that, not surprisingly, earned five Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture). It’s not a film that everyone is going to love. Some will think it is incredibly dull, and, honestly, my second watch of it wasn’t nearly as good as my first viewing (some 10+ years prior). Nonetheless, there is an audience that will enjoy it. It is clever, fun, cute, and fairy-tale-like.
Plot 9.5/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing 8.5/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 9.5/10
Hook and Reel 8/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
87%
B
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- Finding Neverland
- Notting Hill
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- Under the Tuscan Sun
- The Cider House Rules