7.2/10
14,765
155 user 31 critic

Les épices de la passion (1992)

Como agua para chocolate (original title)
R | | Drama, Romance | 28 May 1993 (USA)
When tradition prevents her from marrying the man she loves, a young woman discovers she has a unique talent for cooking.

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)

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at Amazon

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 26 wins & 13 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Pilar Aranda ...
Chencha
Farnesio de Bernal ...
Cura
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Rodolfo Arias ...
Juan Alejándrez
Margarita Isabel ...
Paquita Lobo
Sandra Arau ...
Esperanza Muzquiz
Andrés García Jr. ...
Alex Brown
Regino Herrera ...
Nicolás
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Storyline

In a forgotten Mexico village Tita and Pedro fall in love, but their marriage is forbidden as to traditions. Mother Elena sees Tita's role as her caretaker for life - no youngest daughter has ever married and her daughter will not be the first to break tradition. Tita's heart breaks when her mother offers Pedro her sister instead of her, and he accepted it just to live near Tita- he says. Now they live in the same house, and mother Elena cannot forbid their love as she did their marriage. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A feast for the senses!

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Country:

Language:

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Release Date:

28 May 1993 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Chocolat amer  »

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Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$21,665,500
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (R Rated NTSC Version)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

An aspiring filmmaker from Texas, who was not involved with the project, spent time on set, because he was in town shooting a small budget ($5,000) full-length feature film for the Spanish home video market. That young filmmaker was Robert Rodriguez, and the film was El Mariachi, which became a hit at Sundance and launched his career. See more »

Goofs

When Dr. Brown holds up a piece of white phosphorus, nothing happens. White phosphorus ignites in air at room temperature, however, so it should have been shown burning. See more »

Quotes

Nacha: You will be so beautiful that the first boy who sees you will want to marry you.
Mamá Elena: Nacha! Don't say that. As my youngest daughter, Tita will care for me until the day I die. She won't marry.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Simplement irrésistible (1999) See more »

Soundtracks

Jesusita en Chihuahua
Written by Quirino Mendoza
'
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User Reviews

 
A great film representation of magical realism
1 December 2004 | by See all my reviews

I'm greatly surprised at some of the negative comments for "Like Water for Chocolate", many of which state how it utterly failed to capture the passion or the mystical tone of Laura Esquivel's book.

I suppose it's only a matter of opinion(like pretty much everything, I guess), but I thought the movie represented the book's magical realism in a great way. The filmmakers knew not to exaggerate or take everything over the top(which could've been very easy), and this gives the fantastical moments-- such as all the guests becoming ill at the wedding or the shower bursting into flame as Gertrudis bathed-- an essential grounding in reality. This fact is also buttressed by the erotic musical score and the whole cast, who fit the characters from the novel perfectly IMO.

I would recommend giving the film of "Like Water for Chocolate" a go; and trying out the book as well.


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