Plot
A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.
Release Year: 2000
Rating: 7.3/10 (78,597 voted)
Critic's Score: 64/100
Director:
Lasse Hallström
Stars: Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina
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.
Writers: Joanne Harris, Robert Nelson Jacobs
Cast: 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
-
Pere Henri
John Wood
-
Guillaume Blerot
Lena Olin
-
Josephine Muscat
Peter Stormare
-
Serge Muscat
Leslie Caron
-
Madame Audel
Filming Locations: Bara Hall, Hayes, Middlesex, England, UK
Box Office Details
Budget: $25,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $157,624
(USA)
(17 December 2000)
(8 Screens)
Gross: $152,699,946
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Some of the extras used in the movie were from the town.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Vianne takes the newspaper down from the shop window on the day it opens, the shots from the inside show the window covered in dust and cobwebs, while from the outside the window is clean and shining.
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...
User Review
What a wise and beautiful movie!
Rating: 10/10
I saw Chocolat again last night. I had forgotten how lovely a movie it is!
People need stories like this these days.
Some other viewers have complained about the predictability of the plot. I
don't think it's any more predictable than an average Hollywood film; I
find
most action films much more predictable and shallow.
The most beautiful thing about the movie (as about Hallström movies
generally) is the wise, warm-hearted story about things that matter: love,
sincerity, tolerance, standing up for the things you believe are righteous
and good, and enjoying the simple pleasures in life, like a good dinner
with
friends, or like chocolate :) And Hallström tells his stories so
delicately,
in his very own style, with fine nuances and a twinkle of humour in his
eye.
Binoche, Dench, Depp, Molina, Thivisol etc. are fantastic.
I'm so glad I saw the movie. It always makes me think and feel a
lot.
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