Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

"Chocolat" wasn't at all what I expected. I expected a slow, cheesy, Euro-Chick Flick that was about Chocolate and how it was uh, brown and yummy. What I got was something deeper and far more entertaining than that.

I'll be touching a little bit on the plot, so if you don't want to read anything about that, just give me a "Very Helpful" recommendation and move on with your life. See the movie, it's great.

"Chocolat" is set in a beautiful town in Southern France in 1959. A small town, it's entirely Catholic and uptight (the two aren't mutually inclusive, but are in the film) and ruled by a judgmental Mayor (Alfred Molina). It's a storybook setting for a wonderful tale, and even begins with the words "Once Upon a Time".

The town is changed when Vienne and her daughter Anouk move in and start their Chocolaterie during the season of Lent, when the more "pious" villagers are fasting and abstaining from all passions. Vienne is radiantly played by Juliette Binoche, and is able to embody the free spirit of Vienne without seeming too flighty or irresponsible. Not to mention she's H-O-T-T HOT.

The rest of the film is basically the "closed-minded" townfolk against the introduction of New things by Vienne and eventually others. The conflicts are often comedic, often touching, and didn't offend me as I guess they did other Epinionators.

The setting of the film, a small town in France, is absolutely stunning. Old World Europe, with stonework and buildings built centuries ago. A charming place that's a fitting setting for a story that has hints of magic in it, it's close enough to modern times to be relevant, but distant enough that "it could have happened back then".

The plot of the film is engaging; Being from a fairly uptight city myself (Salt Lake City), the idea of a moral majority clamping down on people who are different was both fresh and relevant. It's more entertaining and less offensive than "Pleasantville", and is a better-made film. Vienne's resistance to conformity isn't an idle one, but one she feels deeply about. The quasi-fairytale story of her own life gives her an inner fire and conviction sadly missing in the lives of most of the townsfolk.

The cast was remarkable and performed well; some of my favorites were Judi Dench as Vienne's stubborn landlady (I love Judi Dench in almost everything she's done, actually)...she has a dignity and depth that would have been lessened with another actress. Carrie Anne Moss (better known as Trinity in The MATRIX) makes an "uptight villager" sympathetic, strict but well-meaning, a difficult feat to pull off. Johnny Depp is fine as a drifter who moves into town, not too threatening, not too annoying. Great performances from a diverse but talented cast; you've seen them all in supporting roles in other films, but they really shine in "Chocolat".

A fine, imaginative film that doesn't follow the Standard Hollywood Format, I recommend it for anyone who has the heart to imagine a different world than the one they live in now.



Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older