Chocolat (2000)

A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Joanne Harris (novel), Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenplay)

Stars:

Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss, Juliette Binoche

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alfred Molina	...	Comte de Reynaud
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Caroline Clairmont
Aurelien Parent Koenig	...	Luc Clairmont (as Aurèlien Parent Koenig)
Antonio Gil	...	Jean-Marc Drou (as Antonio Gil-Martinez)
Hélène Cardona	...	Francoise 'Fuffi' Drou
Harrison Pratt	...	Dedou Drou
Gaelan Connell	...	Didi Drou
Elisabeth Commelin	...	Yvette Marceau
Ron Cook	...	Alphonse Marceau
Guillaume Tardieu	...	Baptiste Marceau
Hugh O'Conor	...	Father Henri
John Wood	...	Guillaume Blérot
Lena Olin	...	Josephine Muscat
Peter Stormare	...	Serge Muscat
Leslie Caron	...	Madame Audel

Storyline

When a single mother and her six-year-old daughter move to rural France and open a chocolate shop - with Sunday hours - across the street from the local church, they are met with some skepticism. But as soon as they coax the townspeople into enjoying their delicious products, they are warmly welcomed.

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Plot Keywords:

chocolate | chocolate shop | mayor | drifter | france | 

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Taglines:

A comic fable from the director of "The Cider House Rules".

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a scene of sensuality and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

19 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chocolate

Filming Locations:

Wales, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£938,266 (UK) (2 March 2001)

Gross:

ESP 1,206,710,487 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, David Brown Productions, Fat Free

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the extras used in the movie were from the town.

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Goofs

When Roux enters the chocolate shop the first time, Vianne hands him a chocolate to try. As he is eating the first bite, the camera changes angles and we see that the chocolate has been completely eaten.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Storyteller: Once upon a time, there was a quiet little village in the French countryside, whose people believed in Tranquilité - Tranquility. If you lived in this village, you understood what was expected of you. You knew your place in the scheme of things. And if you happened to forget, someone would help remind you. In this village, if you saw something you weren't supposed to see, you learned to look the other way. If perchance your hopes had been disappointed, you learned never to ask for ...

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Connections

References The Cider House Rules (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Scottish Morvandelle"
Traditional

User Reviews

cacao saves the day

It is misleading to suggest that this movie makes a fool or bad guy out of religion/Christianity. The movie simply portrays one of the many instances by which religion vis-a-vis Christianity can be manipulated by those with personal agendas to attempt to force others into particular lifestyles. The movie might have been a bit trite, but it was well done and entertaining. a much more significant problem than the treatment of Christianity was the treatment of peripheral characters, about whom we learn very little. aside from the woman running the chocolate shop and the town mayor, all of the other dynamic characters remain too flat. I would have loved to have known more about the all of these characters, with a solid cast of actors such as were present here, it really could've been accomplished with just a bit more dialogue, so long as it was done right. nevertheless, the movie was far, far better than a 2.