 | Chocolat Starring: Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina |
"Chocolat" is a fraud. This Oscar nominated film promised much. A stunning international cast, a magical fable filled with mystery and passion, director Lasse Hallstrom (fresh from his highly acclaimed "Cider House Rules"), lush cinematography, comedy, drama, and the serious promise of the film of the year. The spin machine at Miramax Productions was in full gear weeks before the Los Angeles opening. The hype was surprisingly effective yet, alas, the film is a disaster! The story of "Chocolat" deals with the sudden arrival of the mysterious Vianne Rocher (Binoche) and her daughter at the picturesque but intolerant village of Lansquenet, France. The tale of how Vianne magically frees the narrow attitudes of the poor lost villagers with her secret recipes for chocolates is hopelessly lost in a maze of poor writing, mediocre performances, surgery scenes and cardboard characters. No magic and no passion! After wasting two hours viewing this turkey, I will waste little time with this review. To be fair, I should mention the outstanding cinematography by Roger Pratt, the impressive musical score by Rachel Portman, and the only performance worth mentioning, Lena Olin as the abused housewife, Josephine. The remainder of the cast failed to add any dimension to their flat characters. The best comment I can make about the film is that the marketing of this movie was brilliant. With terrific ads, both for the consumers and the show biz trade, "Chocolat" catapulted to a box office success and received immediate attention from the older Academy members. At last, a film just like the good old days! A perfect example of what kind of circus the Oscars can become. I suppose there was a message somewhere in the film but it was lost in an overly sweet vat of molasses. Next time try Mother Goose. It's a bit more realistic. |