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#138 - "Chocolat"
2001-08-20 @ 6:30 p.m.

#2

well, now that i've built this up for all time, i should just not talk about "chocolat". but i think i'm gonna try anyway.

i just adored this movie. i rented it for an afternoon when i was alone, since my Sweetie is not fond of romances. little did i know that it would be a film that i think he would have really liked. you see, it's not a romance, or a romantic comedy, although it's got some of those elements to it. what it really is is a fairy tale.

wow. i should have realized it from the previews, but i didn't until it started. it's a fairy tale. mid 1950's france, in a little town living like it's still the 19th century. there wasn't a single car in this film, nor a television or a telephone. i think there might have been a radio...

i don't know why, but for some reason i thought i didn't like juliet binoche. i think i once went to a movie where i thought i was going to see julia ormand, whom i adore, and i got juliet binoche instead. how silly. juliet is lovely & french, with a very pretty voice. just when you thought her character was a saint, she would lose her temper & do something silly like kick a statue or cry.

the story was quite enrapturing, as was the cinematography. i can definitely see why it was nominated for some oscars. everyone did a great job in this film, and none of the children in it were overly whiney or sweet, which so easily happens with child actors. did you know that carrie ann moss from the matrix was in this? i did not. she did a great job at being a stuck-up little snobby french woman!

I feel really silly, because once again I got my actresses mixed up. I thought Barbara Hershey was in this film. It was not until the credits were rolling by that I saw that it was Lena Olin. oooooops. Lena's lookin' kinda old these days...

Her character's husband was played by Peter Stormare, who gained nortoriety from "Fargo". Can this guy be in a bad movie? I think it's physically impossible. Kind of like giving a bad performance. He was perfect as the boozing, overzealous husband.

Then there was the Count, played by Alfred Molina. I don't know what it is, but ever since I first caught him in "Enchanted April", he has given me the creeps. He's just such a large, overbearing man, and he always plays mean, overbearing jackasses. Ick. I think he's getting typecast by hollywood, coz here he was, playing a mean, overbearing jackass to a "T".

Of course, no great film can be without Johnny Depp. Err, ok, that's not true, but not for reasons you might think. Now, Johnny may strike you as a pretty boy, but that's not all he is. Pop in "Benny & Joon" and watch that film in it's entirety to see how brilliant he is. Sure, his character is silly, but christ, it was like watching Robert Downey Jr. become Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was a silly guy, but the performance was brilliant. Still not convinced? Did you miss "Edward Scissorhands" & "Cry-Baby"??? OK, those were silly movies too. Let's see... Sit down & watch "Dead Man" sometime. I dare you. It is visually beautiful, at the expense of being somewhat boring. But you could not ask for a more serious role by the lovely Johnny. I was astonished at how he managed it. There, I win. If you have not seen these movie, there's something wrong with you. poo on you!

Um, oh, I didn't actually mention how he did in this film. Why oh why was an American playing an Irishman with a French name??? I have no idea. I guess that means I'll have to read the book now. I've met a handful of Irishmen in my time, and I think he did a great job with the accent. Of course, JD with an Irish accent meant I wasn't paying much attention to anything else while he was on screen. ::heavy sigh:: But I'm pretty sure he did a great job. His character was pretty minor, however.

And did I mention that the kids weren't whiney? They were just like real kids. Playful, with a serious side. A very serious side. The two kids who had more than 1 line a piece were just great. They're probably going to follow in the footsteps of Anna Paquin.

Of course, France was beautiful, but I'm thinking that most of this was filmed on a sound stage, since you didn't get to see many landscape shots. Then there was the story itself. I think it was ingenious. It was enchanting. But I think I already said that. Go watch. You must. I command you. Chocolat is better than sex, dontcha know?

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