Chocolat (2000)

A month back Andrew finished reading the novel Chocolat, and it just so happened it was on TV last week, so we made an appointment to watch it. I didn't have any idea what to expect so I was pleased that the movie was enjoyable and amusing. It was a bit like Amelié without the Jeunet look. There was a lot of whimsy going on. 

Juliette Binoche plays Vianne, who opens a chocolaterie in a sleepy French village, and then sets about touching people's lives through chocolate. Halfway through Johnny Depp arrives with a credible Irish accent as a river gypsy and romance ensues. It turns out though that Vianne is not as adept at sorting her own life out as she is with other people. Her nemesis during this time is the vilage mayor, played with delicious, moustache-twirling effect by Alfred Molina, in a role that's up there with his sheikh in Prince of Persia for scene-stealing. One of the recipient's of Vianne's chocolate-psychology is a diabetic old crone played by the wonderful Judi Dench, who always increases the watchability of any film she appears in. 

There are no real surprises to be found in the plot of Chocolat and it doesn't really do anything new, but the performances are all brilliant, Binoche in particular is simply charming. It's a sweet film that I enjoyed, and which made me very hungry for... well it's pretty obvious. Johnny Depp Chocolate!