Chocolat ★★★ 2000 (PG-13) Freespirited Vianne (Binoche) and her young daughter Anouk (Thivisol) are literally blown into the dull French town of Lansquenet in the late 1950s. Before the scandalized eyes of the Comte de Reynaud (Molina), the community's moral arbitrator, the unmarried hussy opens a chocolaterie—during Lent! While the Comte tries to rally the residents to boycott the establishment, Vianne's delicacies are setting the townspeople's pulses racing, as she becomes intrigued by gypsy vagabond Roux (Depp). Sweetly predictable if overly chastising against religion and conventional morality. Binoche is radiant as usual (and have some chocolate handy when you watch). Based on the novel by Joanne Harris. 121m/C VHS, DVD. FR Juliette Binoche, Victorie Thivisol, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Judi Dench, Lena Olin, Peter Stormare, Carrie-Anne Moss, John Wood, Hugh O'Conor, Leslie Caron, Aurelien Parent Koenig;
Director:
Lasse Hallstrom;
Writer:
Robert Nelson Jacobs;
Writer:
Roger Pratt;
Cameo:
Rachel Portman. Screen Actors Guild '00: Support. Actress (Dench).
