Genres

Visitors Review

Jean Bouchard 2012-05-25 04:32:44

Foreign film ? Really?

Don't be fooled by the title. Even though the film seems to be veryforeign, it is definitely Hollywoodesque. This is far from theBritish-inspired stuff (i.e. 4 weddings...).The title gives everything away : Chocolat is an "enrobage". Under thesweetness is a very predictable and moralistic story. My eyes rolled when Isaw the baaaaaad mother doing it (the chocolate) with her son. Boo-hoo-hoo.This is a light, okay movie, but definitely not Oscarworthy.

2012-05-24 20:55:29

A Work of Art

This review is from: Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series) (DVD) Incredible film, incredible acting, incredible story telling, a beautiful work of art, from start to finish. This is one of those films you want to buy and give away to special friends, like an outstanding book.

HOLLYWOODSUCKS 2012-05-21 04:39:50

A Sweet Fable

I believe many people watched this only because of its Oscar contention. Iam not a huge movie fan and could not care less about Hollywood's popularitycontest, formally known as the Oscars. However, I did see this movie on thebig screen, right after work and really enjoyed it. It seems to me thatsome people were expecting too much out of a fairy tale story. There was anice round of applause after this movie ended, so I'm sure I wasn't the onlyone in the audience who appreciated a bit of escapism for about 2 hours.This is a movie about people and chocolate. It's also a fable, in otherwords, it is not meant to be taken so seriously. Having been raisedCatholic, I could identify with the restrictions put upon the villagers, andI don't blame them for sinning!!As for the actors, the international cast ensemble is superb. JulietteBinoche is great as Vianne. I have never come across an actor/actressthat completely captivates me the way Binoche does, I've even startedwatching her French foreign films. She definetely has movie star presence.Lena Olin, Dame Judi Dench, Hugh O'Conor, Carrie-Ann Moss Alfred Molina, andthe child actors do just fine in the supporting roles. Johnny Depp andthe chocolates look really good on a big screen.Sure this movie has its faults, no car crashes, nudity, profanity, etc. anddoesn't really require people to think deeply. If this is what you needin movies, skip this one. I walked out of this movie with a light heart,knowing people can share different point of views and that Chocolat is stilltempting and very sweet.

Clare 2012-05-20 16:56:57

Like melted Chocolat - a little bit gooey and sweet

Chocoholics beware - if you are in therapy to wean yourself off eating thismarvellous invention, do NOT see this movie.The story follows Vianne Rocher, Juliette Binoche and her daughter, Anoukwho literally blow into a staid, stifling town during lent in the 50's.Renting out the unused paterisserie the the apartment above from ArmandeVoizin, Judi Dench, Vianne and Anouk set up a Chocolaterie. They meetbitter opposition in setting up the Chocolaterie by the local big wig, moralguardian and feared mayor, the Comte de Reynaud, Alfred Molina, who isbattling his own personal dilemas. I won't go too much into what happens as some of the plot would be revealed,possibly spoiling your enjoyment of this film.You meet some delightful characters, including the young priest who has apenchant for rock and roll, in a time when it was still deemed morally wrongto have such inclinations, the tired downtrodden wife whose life gets farmore interesting when her husband discovers Vianne's delightful chocolat andsome not so nice characters like the local cafe owner who routinely beatshis wife played by Lena Olin (who, incidently is also wife of the directorof the film, Lasse Hallstrom), unbeknownst to the villagers.At times this sweet film goes overboard with niceness and eagerness toplease, but for the most part it is a balanced film, with a little bit ofromance, humour and morals to keep you entertained. If you are a Johnny Deppfan (which I am) you might be dissapointed with the screen time given to hischaracter (or not given as the case is), but apart from that I highlyrecommend this film. I also recommend you either have a large meal beforeseeing it, or have a decent swag of chocolate in your possession to scoffduring it!

bob the moo 2012-05-17 20:19:14

Very tasty in small amounts but is too slight and obvious to really please

In a quiet little French village morals are upheld and restraint is avirtue. So tongues get wagging when Vianne Rocher opens up a chocolateshop – during Lent of all times. The Comte De Reynaud decides to do allhe can to force her out of the village, although her enticing treatsstart to win over some of the residents even if her standards don't.With the arrival of some river drifters things become harder for Rocherespecially as she tries to help some of the villagers who have beentrapped behind the walls of respectability.With heaps of praise for this movie and the cast featuring the promiseof the always interesting Johnny Depp, I took the chance to watch thisfilm on television recently hoping for an enjoyable time. I did enjoyit but, aside from the sweet coating the film enjoys the film failed tohave anything like a satisfying centre. The plot is fairly standardstuff where Vianne opens up the village to enjoy more about life andfree them from restraint – it doesn't have much in the way of surprisesor depth to it and it is telling that an advert recently for butter hasmanaged to tell the same story in about 30 seconds. However it issweetly enjoyable anyway and I did find it to be quite charming in itsown way – only really towards the final third does the lack of depthreally become exposed and the film doesn't leave any lasting impressionother than a general sense of charm.Depp's involvement is a fine example of this – he is prominent in allthe marketing but really he just plays to his looks and his sexypresence without ever adding layers to his character (not his fault,but that of the script). Binoche is better and does try hard to makemore of her character than just being all sweetness and light; likewiseMoss, Stormare, Dench, Olin and Koenig all try hard to bring outcomplex characters and dark layers and they nearly succeed but the filmseems more interested in being charming and sweet. Molina is very gooduntil the ending forces him down an obvious path but until then he doestend to steal most of his scenes. Depp is very charming and a welcomeaddition despite representing the failings of the film.Direction is good and the film is charming but I didn't think this wasenough. The plot goes just where you expect it to and asks too much ofthe audience to be won over by charm with no substance. Don't get mewrong, it is a "nice" film and was enough for me to enjoy in front of anice coal fire on a cold night but by the end of the film I was leftwishing it had managed to do more than just be "nice".

2012-05-17 08:30:57

A Sublime Experience

Chocolat is a film about breaking traditions (fool traditions that is),about discovering yourself and mostly about love. The whole movie is structured like a fable with a narrator, plenty of funny things that probably would never happen and of course a lesson, but so subtle you'll not think of it as a lesson. Its 1959, France an immaginary town controlled by a mean old mayor (Alfred Molina as funny as ever), whose people only attend church and have a hostile environment. Vianne arrives (exquisitely played by Juliette Binoche)sets up a chocolaterie, in the middle of lent, and the town will never be the same. Chocolat is a comedy, a drama, a satyre but is mainly a great film with great performances, a beautiful soundtrack and that feel good charm most movies lack. Don't miss it! BEST PICTURE NOMINEE AND WELL DESERVED!

Natal02 2012-05-17 12:20:38

"Mary Poppins" in France

OK, so Miramax has managed to buy themselves yet another series of AcademyAward nominations for a film that is every bit as hollow as a chocolateEaster bunny rabbit. After last years atrocity with all of the nominationsfor "The Cider House Rules," I was sure that they could learn that thenumber front page ads on the cover of 'Variety' are not proportional toquality. "Chocolat" chronicles the life of a 'free-spirited' woman who moves to astuffy French-Catholic town and proceeds to turn it on its head by makingthem realize what's really important in life. Similarities to 'MaryPoppins' are striking. Instead of opposing straight-laced English Victorianculture, this movie's heroine is a threat to the straight-laced Catholicculture. Mary helps Michael Banks become his own man and defy his father,Binoche's character helps a young boy break free of the constraints hismother places on him. The entire duration of the film I was wondering whenthe chimney sweeps were going to show up.The emptiness and forced "cuteness" of this film are astounding for one thathas been so undeservably lauded since its release. Even though it comesfrom the same studio and aspires to the same dream of Oscar glory, it lacksthe wittiness, irony, and romance of "Shakespeare in Love" and is just thisbig jumbled mess of characters and (predictable) plot-twists.None of the acting is particularly noteworthy. Judi Dench has mastered theart of being Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp has mastered the art of beinggreasy, but neither of these things really add to the film. Binoche isgood, but unspectacular in a cookie-cutter role that does not allow for muchinterpretation.

Luuk-2 2012-05-16 21:57:41

Charming, but ...

I was quite prepared to love this movie, even if the idea of a mealsoftening up a village is hardly new (cf. the impressive Babettes gæstebud,Gabriel Axel,1987), but what could go wrong with such wonderful actresses asJuliette Binoche, Lena Olin and Judi Dench? Some terrible directorialchoices is the answer:(1) chosing English for a film set in a Frenchvillage. The film just does not sound right in English: the images oneassociates with the words call up English towns, English preachers, Englishlandlords, English food and English customs. If you want to use English, whynot locate the tale in say Catholic Ireland. (2) lack of originality: onceJohnny Depp has introduced a parallel to the notion of a stranger upsettingthe conservative patterns of a village, merely to provide a romanticbackdrop for Juliette, everything not only becomes preachy but also quitepredictable. The final scene with a whole village celebrating Eastertogether with vagabonds and gypsies is banal in the extreme and so is thepriest's message of tolerance, however praiseworthy in itself. IMHO thiswould have been a much better film if the director had relocated the settingto an English speaking country (or even better used French) and had left outthe gypsy episodes.

bergman-6 2012-05-12 10:59:57

A fable so smooth it melts in your mouth.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, as did the other people in my group. It'sasimple fable with a predictable ending, but we all got caught up in themoodand felt that we were friends with the quirky characters who live in thesmall French town where all the action takes place. Even the two childrenare enjoyable, not nauseatingly cutesy as one fears children might be inthis type of film. Juliette Binoche is ravishing to look at and conveystheMary Poppins-type quirkiness that carries the film. Alfred Molina is thereactionary, super-religious mayor of the town who tries to pressureBinoche into leaving, but his portrayal is sympathetic enough that hedoesn't destroy the fable-like quality of the film. Johnny Depp is acharming river rat, and you also have two fantastic pros in Judi Dench andLeslie Caron. Go, and let the movie suck you into its sense of place andtime and you'll leave the theater feeling that all is possible in lifeafterall.

2012-05-11 14:34:52

Uneven Poetry

It was like listening to a fabulous poem with a few words stumbled over here and there. Depp is very very good as the Irish River Rat, but I had to wonder how he got that boat all the way from Ireland to France. There were a few British accents masquerading as French ... the priest in particular was interesting in that plus he was incredibly young. Brought to mind Doogie Howser, priest.But those small stumbles can not detract from the sheer beauty of this film. The awakening of this town from the self-denials of their lives (not all are related to the Church but that is the big allegorical tie-in) is an amazing thing.One person who was never asleep is Judi Dench's Armande. For me, she was one of the best characters in the film. The foreshadowing is done so very well in this. It wa a pure delight to watch.

2012-05-10 17:02:18

A Warm and Wonderful Movie.

This had to be one of the years' best movies. I just loved it, and Johnny Depp was such a pleasent surprise.It's a feel good movie, that will make you glad that you decided to watch it.

2012-05-10 11:34:18

Not bad...

About a lady picking up and moving to different towns. She embarks this town, where they pretty much disregard and try to run out anyone who is different from them (non church going, etc).She comes by and opens up a Chocolat shop, around Lint and Easter mind you. So she's as evil as they come (as this is set in the 50's), according to most of the town's people. Needless to say she manages to keep her shop open and stay in town, even though all the town talks about her and her child.Eventually she makes friends with a few (also black sheeps of the town) and helps them out with a few situations. And in the long run they all come around and keeps her in town, as she decided it was time to move on.I recommend the movie, it's nice, it's family orientated. It's a drawn out but pleasant.

MarMitch 2012-05-10 06:10:22

You will like the movie, but read the book first for a more enriching experience..

It always amazes me how much they can change a book yet keep the gist ofitfor the big screen. How one character becomes two, characters are added ordeleted, the sequence of events change as well as the events themselveseventhe ending is sometimes different (all of these examples are true for thismovie) I was a bit angry at some of the changes but when I saw JoanneHarris' name in the ending credits as an advisor (she's the author of thebook), I let it go, if she thought the changes were okay, then they areokaywith me. I finished reading the book on Monday morning and decided to gotothe cinema to see it on Tuesday afternoon. It was a good movie but thereisjust so much more to these characters and it's all in the book. So if youwant to see the movie, read the book first, I read it in 2 sittings...butIdidn't have anything else to do...enjoy!

2012-05-09 16:56:12

A must for your DVD library

This is a beautiful movie. Its rich and sensual as chocolate. I love the classic look of it; Its very french yet not weird to the american audience. Binoche is beautiful and sensual and perfect as the new woman in town. A must have for your DVD library.

2012-05-07 12:26:02

Delicious

Coming from Lasse Hallstrom, the director of `Cider House Rules', this film is sweet as it's name. It is a simple story set in a French village in the late 1950s. Vianne ( Juliette Binoche ) who migrates from village to village comes here alongwith her daughter Anouk ( Victoriwe Thivisol ) on a cold windy day. She rents a shop from Amande ( Judi Dench ) to open a delightful Chocolaterie. Her little shop introduces the villagers to the pleasures of delectable chocolate and spiced hot cocoa which Vianne prepares and serves personally. She befriends many with her knack of guessing each one's favourite flavour. Little does she know that this town is controlled by the Mayor ( Alfred Molina ) who is an orthodox man and despises all such worldly pleasures. He uses the church sermons to preach the village folk to stay away from such temptations he considers sins and makes no pretence of his dislike towards Vianne. The movie is about how Vianne takes up this challenge fighting her own insecurities and seduces the village with her fine art of making sinfully tempting chocolates. There are several subplots in the film - one of a battered wife Josephine (Lena Olin ) who stands up for herself , Amande's bitter relation with her daughter and her longing to be with her grandson, the Mayor's own inauthenticity and the bad boy gypsy Roux ( Johnny Depp ) who plays the love interest of Vianne.The movie is warm and sensitive. There is a lot of lighthearted humour brought out in various situations. The scenes that show the making of delicious and eye-catching chocolates are delightful. All chocolate lovers will be lip smacking at those very moments. But, movie's strength is in exposing the hypocrisy of those who claim to be close to God but have chosen the path of denial even to such simple a pleasure as enjoying a chocolate. It teaches us to drop all the significance we give to our lives instead of just relishing our moments.Vianne's character as the charming chocolatier is played to perfection by Juliette Binoche. While, Albert Molina as the repressive Mayor is excellent. Johnny Depp gives the romantic angle to the film. Judi Dench as the old indulgent Amande is graceful.See this one, it will bring a sweet smile to your face.

Brian B-2 2012-05-06 17:41:19

An enchanting parable of love, life, temptation and chocolate

Love, life, temptation, chocolate. What else is there really? Well, to startwith, a smart balanced script. Tasteful ( or tasty?) art direction settingthe variable mood tones just right, so Lasse Hallstrom's direction isunobtrusive. Best of all is the ensemble cast, hitting all the right noteswhether the veterans ( Judi Dench, Leslie Caron), or child actors. Lena Olinand Johnny Depp become their roles, in the main supporting parts. Carrie-AnnMoss is totally absorbed in a small role, becoming so real she isunrecognizable to Matrix fans. Best of all though is Juliette Binoche. Seldom do we see such a sensualperformance in a PG-13 film. She becomes the character, which remains acomplex enigma at the heart of the story. Is she a half-Mayan witch? Or justa French single mother in 1960, in a world on the cusp of the Beatles andthe 60's revolution? She is at once elemental goddess Earth mother andtoasty bed warmer we all desire. Female messiah figures are rare, and hersis a treasure. Not only a great movie, but an important story.

69-faerie 2012-05-02 00:19:55

Not very French

OK, a feel-good film, though the topics religion and intolerance is heavyenough to deal with in a movie. I've seen both Johnny Depp and JulietteBinoche in better films - esp. JD in Gilbert Grape. This mixture of whatMiramax think is French, confuse me, why play Mississippi-blues in a Frenchriver delta - and why mix the story up with native South-American Indians?And the casting of Peter Stormare, hello, he looked as he had forgot that hewas not playing Agent Coq Rouge. I don't know, but it seems to me that LasseHallström had swalloved over too much. It had looked more real if thesetting was in Creole country in the Deep South in USA. This is some kind ofDisney-France. Aromathic, but less authentic. And - if you are looking for a real woman that really knows how to cook forall the senses - and make people happy, sad and sexy, choose "Como agua parachocolate":

Slick-50 2012-05-01 16:52:37

Unique

Another unique period piece from masterful director, Lasse Holstrom,Chocolat is indeed onje of a kind. Holstrom blends equal amounts of comedyand drama with amazing skill and an international cast to match. But allthis could not have been made possible if it wasn't for the screenwriters,who have really excelled themselves on this one! A classic! A must see foreveryone who'd rather watch the smart little movie than the big violentpiece of garbage that has no particular storyline.

2012-04-24 16:42:37

Pure movie magic

The year is 1959, but it might just as well be a century or more before,forall the intrusion of modern times and technology in this story of amysterious woman (Binoche) and her daughter who arrive in a small Frenchtown and open a chocolate shop during Lent, which angers the mayor, adevoutand intolerant count (Molina) who vows to put her out of business. In asense, the story is a fairy tale about a good witch who turns a townupsidedown mainly due to the villagers' fear and ignorance, and does good forthemdespite themselves. Beautifully shot, wonderfully written, anddelightfullyacted, the film is as near perfection among romantic comedy-dramas as Ihaveseen in a long time. Binoche is most fetching, Olin fine as a batteredwifewho blooms (it is magical just for a film buff to contemplate how theactresses and their roles have changed since they were together in "TheUnbearable Lightness of Being"), Molina a wonderful "villain," and JudiDench as a crusty diabetic landlady somehow made me cry nearly every timeshe came on screen. Fine as he has been elsewhere, Johnny Depp as a sortofgypsy water-rat with a curious Irish brogue is a little out of his depthinthis crowd. This is one to treasure in repeated viewings.

gbheron 2012-04-23 22:29:19

A Sweet Fairy Tale

I just wrote some comments for "The Wedding Planner". I hated it, and in sostating, I trashed romantic comedies in general. Since then, I've viewed"Chocolat" and now have to eat my words. You could argue that "Chocolat" ismore than a simple romantic comedy, and you'd be correct. There are storylines detailing the relationship between a footloose mom, and the daughterwho wants roots and stability, as well as other relationships dealing withfamily conflicts and parochial bigotries. But in its heart "Chocolat" is aromantic fairy tale; touching, tender and sweet. And in spite of that it's agood movie, recommended for a rental.