Every so often, a movie with what seems to be a simple plot on the surface turns out to be something wonderful. It is nice to discover these types of movie gems, especially after suffering through some really horrible movies. I had heard and read good things about Chocolat, but I only just watched it after discovering it on one of my movie channels.
A small French village was basically controlled by the mayor, Comte Paul de Reynaud. He tried to keep everyone in line, and even went so far as to edit or even write the sermons for the young priest, Pere Henri. Paul was very bothered when a young single mother, Vianne Rocher, arrived in town with her daughter Anouk and opened a chocolate shop during Lent. Everyone in town was Catholic, and Paul believed that Vianne was tempting people into immorality with her chocolate and set out to put her out of business.
His plan failed as people slowly made their way into the store. Vianne became friends with Armande, the older woman she was renting the shop from, and Josephine, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage. With Vianne’s help, Josephine got away from Serge and started to learn how to make chocolate. Armande was finally able to spend some time with her grandson Luc even though her daughter Caroline didn’t want the two together. Vianne also befriended a group of gypsies traveling by boat who set up camp along the river. She became especially close to Roux. Paul believed that the gypsies were going to corrupt the village and he tried to use them as another reason to turn everyone against Vianne.
Chocolat was based on the book by Joanne Harris. I didn’t know the movie was based on a book before watching it, so obviously I haven’t read it. I don’t know for sure, but I think there were probably changes made for the movie.
On the surface, it seemed like the plot of Chocolat was fairly simple, dealing just with Vianne arriving in the small village with her daughter and starting a chocolate shop. As the movie progressed, it became apparent that there was more going on. Issues of acceptance, religion, family problems, and abuse were dealt with in a way that worked for the movie. More time was given to certain subplots than others, but I felt that all of them were developed enough to work well. The movie did have a slower pace that worked perfectly. That allowed for the characters and certain storylines to be developed more. Some people will be disappointed with the slower pace and the fact that there weren’t surprises or suspense in the movie. There were certain aspects of the movie that I wasn’t sure how they would work out.
Some gentle humor was used in different scenes of Chocolat. The humor did work well. It was funny to see the young priest singing an Elvis song and dancing a bit while he was working outside the church. Armande said several things that I thought were funny. In addition to the bit of humor, there were also more serious issues addressed in the movie. Vianne and Anouk were very different from the people in the village and there were issues with them being accepted. Later in the movie, once Roux and the other gypsies arrived, acceptance came up again. Paul was a very religious man who believed that he knew what was best for everyone. He had no problem throwing his weight around to try to get everyone to do what he wanted. Some of the religious things that were brought up may bother or even offend some viewers. I think that probably the most serious aspect of the movie dealt with Josephine and the abusive marriage she was in. She was a wreck before Vianne took her in and helped her to gain confidence in herself. There was one scene that showed Serge at his worst that did include some violence. It was brief and not overly graphic, though some could feel like it was out of place. I thought it made the storyline connected to Josephine stronger.
Even when I still didn’t know much about Chocolat, I knew that chocolate was going to be important to the movie. The whole reason that Vianne was in the village was to open her shop and try to use chocolate to help people. She was shown making many different treats that looked really good. All the chocolate could set off cravings in some people. I’m actually surprised that I didn’t get any while watching the movie - though I have while working on this review. The chocolate drew people into the shop and helped some of them to open up to Vianne. It also seemed to help other people with certain aspects of their lives, like with their relationships. It did seem like Vianne’s chocolate had some magical qualities since people’s lives changed so much once they ate it.
Chocolat did have a fairytale quality to it. Every so often a narrator was heard explaining something connected to the story. I did feel like the plot had a bit of a magical feel to it, especially concerning the effects of eating Vianne’s chocolate. The entire movie took place in the small French village. All of the characters spoke English, but they would use a French word or phrase every so often. Even though it was set in the 1950's - I think it was 1959 - there weren’t a lot of modern things shown. People walked instead of using cars and the buildings looked like they had been around for years. Muted colors were used at the beginning of the movie for the landscape as well as the clothing that everyone was wearing. The first splash of color was when Vianne and Anouk arrived wearing bright red cloaks. Vianne wore a lot of bright colors, which fit her personality perfectly. More colors started to turn up as Vianne connected with more people. The change in the coloring was very subtle and helped to illustrate how people were changing their minds about Vianne.
There was a lot of importance placed on different types of relationships throughout Chocolat. Vianne and Anouk did seem to have a strong, close relationship even though Anouk didn’t like moving as often as they did. She also had moments of wishing her mother was more like the other mothers in the village so she would fit in. They did have a few issues to deal with. Armande’s relationship with her daughter Caroline was strained and the two women hadn’t talked in ages. They disagreed about certain things which caused the estrangement. Caroline felt that her mother was a bad influence on her son Luc, so she kept the two apart. Vianne was able to connect with Armande and the women did develop a friendship that seemed to be important to both of them.
Josephine had been married to Serge for a long time and use to taking his abuse when Vianne arrived in town. Other people in the village realized what was going on, but just turned a blind eye to it. Vianne took time to get to know Josephine and helped her to get out of the abusive environment. Vianne took Josephine under her wing, helping her to gain confidence and teaching her how to make chocolate. It was very clear that the friendship was strong and important to both women. Josephine also developed a friendship with Armande through Vianne. She seemed to have a knack for bringing people together.
One of the first customers in Vianne’s shop rediscovered the passion in her marriage after her husband ate the chocolate. After that, both of them were back in the shop to buy more. Later in the movie, once Roux arrived, it was shown that the two were interested in each other. There were sparks and a lot of chemistry between them. The most sensuous scene in the movie was when the two of them were dancing. That was probably one of the most sensuous scenes that I’ve seen in any movie. It was a powerful and beautiful scene. It was made clear that they had sex without there being an actual sex scene. There weren’t any sex scenes in the movie even though there were some sexual situations and discussions. Really all that was shown was some kissing. The sexual aspects of the movie were very tastefully handled and shouldn’t offend anyone.
Vianne was a single mother who had a talent for making wonderful chocolate and helping people. She was a kind, loving woman who was just trying to make a home for herself and her daughter while helping others. There was an air of mystery around her throughout the movie. I really liked Juliette Binoche in the part. Anouk loved her mother, but was unhappy with certain aspects of their life.
Armande didn’t seem to be very nice when Vianne first met her. Armande was grumpy and living alone with her cat. After she started to spend time with Vianne, she started to change and show her kind side. Judi Dench handled the part very well. Caroline was very controlling of her son Luc and wouldn’t even let him ride a bike because she was worried he would get hurt. She had some genuine concerns about her mother’s health, but she didn’t handle them well which caused the two to not speak for ages. Caroline did seem to be very judgmental at first and I didn’t really like her much. She did change and become more likable by the end of the movie. Carrie-Anne Moss handled the part well, including speaking with an accent.
Paul was a very religious, righteous man who was absolutely convinced that he knew what was best for everyone in town. He used his position as mayor to control everything in the village, including the sermons at church. He wasn’t a bad or evil man, but he wasn’t really kind or accepting of others either. Alfred Molina was wonderful in the part. Roux was one of the gypsies that arrived in town. He and Vianne quickly formed a bond that led to a stronger relationship. He was just trying to live his life without bothering others but he faced a lot of hatred from many people because of his unconventional way of life. I really liked Johnny Depp in the part and would have liked it if he had been around more.
Josephine probably went through the biggest transformation during the movie. She was meek and living in fear of her husband when she met Vianne. Josephine had no sense of self worth and had learned to accept her husband’s horrible treatment. With Vianne’s help, she was able to get away and begin to start a new life for herself. Josephine bloomed once she started spending more time with Vianne. Lena Olin did a very good job with the part, making Josephine a likable and believable character. Serge was around every so often. He had moments when he seemed nicer, but he would quickly return to his abusive ways. He was not a nice man. Several other people in the village, including the young priest, were all shown throughout the movie without any of them being developed that much.
Main Cast
Juliette Binoche - Vianne Rocher Judi Dench - Armande Johnny Depp - Roux Alfred Molina - Comte Paul de Reynaud Carrie-Ann Moss - Caroline Hugh O’Connor - Pere Henri Lena Olin - Josephine
Lasse Hallstrom - Director
I had been wanting to see Chocolat for a while, especially after I found out that Johnny Depp was in it. I was happy to find it on one of my movie channels one night. It is available on DVD, though I don’t know what sort of extras are on it. I may end up adding the DVD to my collection at some point since I enjoyed the movie so much.
Chocolat was a very well done, entertaining movie. The plot didn’t have a lot of twists or surprises, but it still made for a wonderful movie. I just wish Johnny Depp’s part had been bigger.
When a mysterious stranger (Juliette Binoche) and her child arrive in a tranquil French town in the winter of 1959, nobody could have imagined the imp...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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