Chocolat

Movie Information

In Brief: In Chocolat (2001), Lasse Hallström walks a fine line with material that could easily have slipped into the realm of the too precious, but it never falters as it tells a predictable story of a woman (Juliette Binoche) and her daughter (Victoire Thivisol) who come to a small French town in 1959 and magically transform it, as much by way of their nonconformity and practical psychology as through any properties of the chocolate they sell. The story works in large part because the two are themselves transformed. Beautiful to look at, the film is charming in every sense, directed with a sure hand and acted by an unbeatable cast. At the same time, I am forced to admit that the film hasn't quite retained its original magic over the space of 14 years. Its luster seems to me to have ever-so-slightly dimmed, but only slightly. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke originally published on June 2, 2015.
Score:

Genre: Romantic Comedy Fantasy
Director: Lasse Hallström
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Leslie Caron
Rated: PG-13

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Chocolat on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 2 p.m. in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

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About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

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