Monday, April 15, 2019

Movie review: Chocolat

 
 A woman able to create wonders with chocolate, and her young daughter, open a chocolate shop in a small French village that challenges the rigid morality of the small town. Opening the shop during Lent creates a stir, but the townsfolk quickly come to desire the decadent treats which unlock their deepest desires.

Alfred Molina (Comte de Reynaud), Carrie-Anne Moss (Caroline), Aurelien Koenig (Luc), Peter Stormare (Serge), Juliette Binoche (Vianne), Victoire Thivisol (Anouk), Judi Dench (Armande), Johnny Depp (Roux).

Chocolat begins with Vianne and her daughter, Anouk, moving to a small French village where they open a chocolate shop. From the start Vianne rubs the townsfolk the wrong way with her disinterest in religion and decadent treats rolled out during Lent, when they would not be allowed. As the story continues, Vianne's treats begin to win over the town at which point we all realize her candies affect more than just taste buds. The remainder of the film is an interesting, and at times unusual, romantic drama with nice depth and a solid finish.

Acting was good with Binoche delivering very well and apparently working nicely with others. Molina fit his role nicely and delivered well. Moss was good as a mild antagonist and presented with quality. Dench was another bright spot and enjoyed as always. Stormare, Thivisol, Depp and the remainder of the supporting cast were good.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are fairly mild but felt solid and enjoyed good depth. Dialogue was good and moved the story along at a nice pace. Sound and soundtrack are mild but fitting.

In all, Chocolat is a fun romantic drama with a nice dose of comedy and a light heart. The story is solid, moves along at a nice pace, and enjoys good technical work and acting. Those who enjoy a nice romance story should enjoy this one.

With some mild sexuality and nudity, mild violence, and some foul language, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2000
Reviewed: 4.8.19
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Dramas based on the book

copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel

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