Chocolat (2000)

The critic hails it as a delectable yet spiritually nourishing humanist fable with wide appeal. Hallström's subtle direction and the cast's glowing performances, especially Binoche and Molina, are singled out for praise.

The review describes it as a richly textured comic fable blending Old World wisdom with timely commentary on moral superiority. It praises Hallström's observations on the human spirit and the exquisite production values.

Lasse Hallström brings a delicate touch to this blend of comedy, soap, romance and magic that feels like a souffle but turns out more substantial. It is a treat and a rare showcase for Binoche, though with the minor cavil of players speaking English with slight French accents.

The critic sees the film as a charming fable pitting pagan sensuality against rigid Christianity, with chocolate as the winning force. Binoche is singled out as a serene, wise presence who embodies the story's life-affirming spirit.

The review calls it a crowd-pleasing but manipulative confection, an art-house film for those who dislike art-house films. It praises the assured direction and strong ensemble performances, especially Molina and Depp.

Hallström's soft adaptation constructs a feminist parable about courage, support and pleasure in personal transformation, with excellent performances. However, their relevance is diminished by the historical bubble in which they are situated, with the period cinematography preserving the whole in aspic.

The critic finds Lasse Hallström's fable-like story of a chocolate shop disrupting a conservative French village overly sweet and lacking depth or conflict. While acknowledging the charm of its cast and progressive themes, the review criticizes its heavy-handed magic realism and emotional generosity as making the film insubstantial.

Some audiences will like this soft-centred, simplistic pseudo-French fable better than the critic did; it is a predigested exercise in genteel nostalgia that neuters the source novel's sharper edges and reduces food to mere bon-bons rather than a transfigured sacrament.

The critic calls the film a gooey, sickly-sweet confection that even Juliette Binoche cannot redeem, comparing it unfavourably to a Thornton's factory and criticising its patronising feelgood ethos and Depp's performance. Binoche's grace and beauty are singled out for praise amid the complaints about the film's ickiness and smugness.

The critic describes it as a fairy story about a woman who provides a breath of fresh air to a small French town. Praises supporting performances like Alfred Molina as the mayor and Judi Dench as a grouchy landlady who learns to let go, while noting Juliette Binoche's character is more sentimental than exacting.