Better Than Chocolate (1999)

Two attractive young lesbians, Maggie and Kim, meet in Vancouver, develop a passionate romance, and move in together. Meanwhile, Maggie's well-meaning but naive mother Lila gets divorced ... See full summary »

Director:

Anne Wheeler

Writer:

Peggy Thompson (screenplay)

Stars:

Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wendy Crewson	...	Lila
Karyn Dwyer	...	Maggie
Christina Cox	...	Kim
Ann-Marie MacDonald	...	Frances
Marya Delver	...	Carla
Kevin Mundy	...	Paul
Tony Nappo	...	Tony
Jay Brazeau	...	Mr. Marcus
Beatrice Zeilanger	...	Bernice (as Beatrice Zeilinger)
Peter Outerbridge	...	Judy
Gerald Varga	...	Skin Head 1
Robert Parent	...	Skin Head 2
Corrine Koslo	...	Safe Sex Advocate
Veena Sood	...	Religious Zealot
Tony Marr	...	Lila's Boss

Storyline

Two attractive young lesbians, Maggie and Kim, meet in Vancouver, develop a passionate romance, and move in together. Meanwhile, Maggie's well-meaning but naive mother Lila gets divorced and decides to move to Vancouver and join the household. Soon after, Lila is befriended by Judy, a transsexual about to undergo a sex-change operation. Complications ensue as the conservative Lila learns the truth about Maggie, Judy, and their diverse group of friends.

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Plot Keywords:

sex change | lesbian | protest | neo nazi | female rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

A Delicious Comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong sexual content, nudity and language

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1999 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Maggie & Lila

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$84,584 (USA) (13 August 1999)

Gross:

$2,011,254 (USA) (5 November 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Columbia Film, CITY-TV, Government of British Columbia Film Incentive BC Program

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 102 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

After Judy and Lila have their duet in the condo, the boom mic dips briefly into the top of the frame.

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Quotes

[Frances is about to attack the homophobic customs official; Bernice, a security guard, steps in]
Bernice: Do we have a problem in here?
Frances: Bernice? Oh my god, I haven't seen you since the women's music festival!
[Bernice hustles Frances and Maggie out the door]

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Crazy Credits

(Under Cast) Helicoptor ... Did you see any helicoptor shots?

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

"Cantata from Giumona"
Performed by The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus with Wendy Nielson, Soloist.

User Reviews

The problem with Canadian cinema...

The problem with Canadian cinema is that most of the time it is pretty good, pretty different from those ugly Hollywood formulas. Another problem is we don't have the chance to see these movies in Canadian theatres, because it is filled with USA. Director Anne Wheeler is from west Canada. It's the third of her movies I see : Loyalties (1986, with fantastic Indian actress Tantoo Cardinal) Bye bye blues (1989) These two have a Canadian cultural edge to it. Not this one : it is universal, but set in Canada. What the three movies have in common is the FEELINGS! They are also very feminine. This one is a romantic comedy, with good acting by Christina Cox and charming Karyn Dwyer. It's fun, human, intelligent. Did I have to say this is a movie about lesbians? Not really : it's just a pretty good romantic comedy. I'd like to see more of Anne Wheeler because I'm sure she's a great talent from Canada. By the way, I'm sure that Canadians from the west don't really know about Quebec's films. Very sad! We make a pretty good lesbian picture too : Revoir Julie. Thanks to miss Wheeler and all the cast.