Chocolat
(2000)
If you blindfolded me then gave me a piece of a Hershey
bar and a piece of a Nestles bar, I could tell you which
was which. I'm that kind of a guy. I like chocolate
a lot and eat it often. I like movies too; that's why
when I saw "Chocolat," I could tell what was about to
happen next. It's very formulaic. Luckily the charm
of the cast and the talent of all involved help to smooth
it out some. Mirimax has pretty much just unleashed
the film at holiday time and are hoping for the best.
In many ways, the film is really just a 50 cent candy
bar tarted up in the Godiva wrapper that is the media
conglomerate - and the talent of the cast.
Here's the familiar premise: "Spiritual/mystical"
type moves into a provincial small town. He/she offers
up something that is usually considered an evil (i.e.
open sexuality, drugs, alcohol, radical thought, etc...)
The gentry are good folk but perhaps a bit closed minded
yet easily swayed. Some "important" person in the community,
under the guise of "morality" sees that the new townsperson
is having a supposed "negative" impact on the town which
he/she feels power over and sets out to make times tough
for the mystical barbarosa. Some members of the town
aren't so easily swayed, of course, and see that the
new member of the community has something to offer.
Eventually the "important" member of the town goes too
far nearly causing serious danger to people. Soon after,
this zealot indulges in the "vice" supposedly at play
here. After this, he/she realizes the error of his/her
ways and accepts the new person and repents. And everyone
is able to live peacefully together.
Sounds pretty familiar right. This storyline has been
trotted out numerous times by Hollywood. But here the
film has some unique twists in that the "evil" is chocolate.
That's seems like pretty harmless stuff yet it has just
enough decadence attached to it to be plausible. Also,
the script by Robert Nelson Jacobs (based on a novel
by Joanne Harris) is pretty subtle. Only occassionally
does one of the actors in the piece threaten to go a
bit to far over-the-top. Therefore, everything pans
out nicely.
In "Chocolat," Juliette Binoche is the mystic and
Alfred Molina her myopic adversary. Binoche enlists
townsfolk Judi Dench, Lena Olin and John Wood on her
side while Carrie Ann Moss and son eventually come round.
Molina, meanwhile, only has the dimwitted abusive husband
played by Peter Stormare and the innocent town priest
played by Hugh O'Conor to aid him in his toils.
Molina is one of my favorite actors but he continually
gets cast in frumpy "bad guy" roles that offer him almost
nothing new to do. Here, his Comte de Reynaud is not
quite at the level of his Snidley Whiplash in "Dudley
Do Right," but it gets too close at times. When is someone
going to give this man an interesting role he can sink
his teeth into?
Director Lasse Hallstrom has made a name for himself
with foreign and then American films that have garnered
much critical support while remaining just above a cult
level at the box office. His "My Life as a Dog" and
"Gilbert Grape" have earned him the respect of astute
film goers but I doubt "Chocolat" will live up to most
of their expectations. It is just a bit too slight.
And with the film bouncing around between French and
English language here and most of the actors of a cult/foreign
status, I don't see how this one can break any new ground
for him. It does, however, keep him at an even keel,
a plateau rather than a misstep.
Yes, the charm of the film will indeed make it work
for most of us. It's just nice enough to allow us accept
it. It's good to see talents like Molina, Binoche and
Dench get a chance at a film that isn't too "arty" or
too "classical." And the familiarity doesn't breed contempt
as much as it lulls and placates us.
Of course, the film should hope to win over a new
audience, namely, those who are wary of art films, foreign
casts, and the like. Those folks could find a film of
that ilk which they can enjoy. If only Mirimax could
find a way to get their butts in the seats. Calling
the film "Chocolat" won't do it. The French spelling
put-off most mainstream customers. Maybe they need to
put Johnny Depp's picture a little more prominently
on the poster and ad. Or give out free candy bars at
the box office. Hershey's or Nestles?
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