Like Water for Chocolate (1992)

When tradition prevents her from marrying the man she loves, a young woman discovers she has a unique talent for cooking.

Director:

Alfonso Arau

Writers:

Laura Esquivel (novel), Laura Esquivel (screenplay)

Stars:

Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos, Regina Torné

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 26 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marco Leonardi	...	Pedro Muzquiz
Lumi Cavazos	...	Tita
Regina Torné	...	Mamá Elena
Mario Iván Martínez	...	Doctor John Brown
Ada Carrasco	...	Nacha
Yareli Arizmendi	...	Rosaura
Claudette Maillé	...	Gertrudis
Pilar Aranda	...	Chencha
Farnesio de Bernal	...	Cura
Joaquín Garrido	...	Sargento Treviño
Rodolfo Arias	...	Juan Alejándrez
Margarita Isabel	...	Paquita Lobo
Sandra Arau	...	Esperanza Muzquiz
Andrés García Jr.	...	Alex Brown
Regino Herrera	...	Nicolás

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.

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Plot Keywords:

mexico | marriage | love | nudity | pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

A feast for the senses!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

28 May 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Como Água Para Chocolate

Filming Locations:

Ciudad Acuña, Coahuíla, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$21,665,500

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arau Films Internacional, Aviacsa, Cinevista

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 113 min (R Rated NTSC Version)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

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.

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Goofs

When the narrator says "that night she [Tita] cried and knitted" Tita is clearly shown crocheting with one hook instead of knitting, which requires two.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

The International version is color-corrected, and some voices were re-dubbed in the English spoken language scenes. Includes sex & nudity scenes.

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Connections

Referenced in Bob's Burgers: Like Gene for Chocolate (2017)

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Soundtracks

Jesusita en Chihuahua
Written by Quirino Mendoza
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User Reviews

A visually exciting, intensely erotic movie

This is a wonderful, fanciful and very erotic movie. It is a rare film that is as good as the book on which it is based. It was a wise decision to have Laura Esquivel, the author of the book, write the screenplay. The story contains so much fantasy, I thought it might be very difficult to translate it sucessfully to the screen, but the results are superb.

The scene in which Tita's sister is so aroused after eating Tita's Rose Petal soup that she literally burns down their outdoor shower from her body heat and then runs naked across the plain only to be scooped up and carried away on horseback by a bandit is one of the sexiest moments ever put on film.

This movie is not for everyone, but if you enjoy erotic (but NOT pornographic) fantasy, try "Like Water for Chocolate"!