Chocolat

Lasse Hallström can create a somewhat romantic atmosphere, or a little-town idyll. What was missing in most of films of his that I’ve seen is the necessary emotional power, or perhaps the magic, that can leave a lasting impact on a person. Chocolate is the first one that has somewhat succeeded in this. It is impossible to resist comparing it to the similarly romanticized The Cider House Rules, which, despite its sunny shots and “cute” faces, had almost no emotions and ended up labeled as “overly sweet”. Chocolate is just right, considering its name, it even has a slightly bitter taste at times. Nevertheless, it maintains an irresistibly romantic mood throughout, full of good-hearted individuals of all ages and the fact that a woman's heart can possess the same amount of strength as ten sumo wrestlers. (11/12/2007)

Chocolate nicely combines elements of drama and comedy with a slight hint of fairy tale. Lasse Hallström's incredibly elegant, likeable, and enjoyable work is probably best enjoyed with a cup of hot chocolate and some of those sweets. :) The choice of actors is perfect, the music is more than pleasant. :) (29/03/2009)

Definitely not a movie to give out free with the purchase of a 3-pack of candy bars... which is how it ended up in my hands. So I put it on, thinking it was a cheap movie. It somewhat surprised me, but really only somewhat. Maybe I'm just biased, which is why I'm going to watch it again. For now, 3.5 stars. (11/02/2011)

A cool movie. I've heard that if you watch it, you'll end up “cleaning out" the nearest Belgian chocolate shop. Well, that didn't happen for me. I'm not in the mood for it. But I guess that's not the point of the movie. I'm a bit sorry that Johnny had such a bark, good as ever, but you didn't see him wag his tail much. I really liked the music on the boat, that's when the film gave me the passion – not for chocolate (as promised) but for dancing. Also good. I liked how the film took on more color as it went on, and how everyone had this lovely wispy accent and said bonjour. Plus a beautiful town full of cat heads... A bit of a weak 4 stars, but still a 4. (12/07/2009)

Such a nice, sweet, and fragrant film - no wonder, as it contains so much chocolate... Of course, Chocolate can be read as overly polished and with a happy ending, it is evidently an oversweetened movie, but that's just how director Hallstrom is, you can't expect a dark film from him. And once in a while, it doesn't hurt to indulge in sweetness or a romantic movie of this kind. Especially when it stars Julliete Binoche and Johnny Depp... Overall impression: 85%. (20/06/2006)