Better Than Chocolate

This is a wonderful movie rich in both love and life. Maggie, a worldly yet closeted twenty-year-old runs into her new girlfriend Kim, a similarly aged artist-on-the-road, the day before her mother and brother come to live with her and romantic adventure ensues. Maggie's mother, Lila, believes the only pleasure left in the world after her divorce is chocolate, but soon finds there still is more to life. This film covers all the bases of the LGBT spectrum and, while occasionally using stereotypes, is a beautiful way to celebrate diversity. This is one of my favorite movies for the subtle humor and beautiful theme of the movie and I, personally, give it an A+!

I can honestly say that I have never seen a lesbian move that really made me feel all warm and snuggly. I just thought the whole plot was perfect. I have nothing bad to say about the actual movie itself. I really thought they picked the perfect people to play the main parts. Having good actors and actresses really make the whole movie more enjoyable.

Better Than Chocolate certainly was one of those movies where you could sit back and relax and just enjoy it. A true romantic comedy. I personally have not seen a movie that shows what life is really like for lesbians and well, this one certainly does. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone. Old and young alike.

BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE is just like a ballad by Leonard Cohen: it starts of slow, seems to be going nowhere, then inexplicably arrives at a place of romantic power and beauty. Everything, from the performers to the script to the direction get better and better as the movie progresses. 5/10 for the first half of the film, 9/10 for the second half.

The problem with Canadian cinema is that most of the time it is pretty good, pretty different from those ugly Hollywood formulas. Another problem is we don't have the chance to see these movies in Canadian theatres, because it is filled with USA. Director Anne Wheeler is from west Canada. It's the third of her movies I see : Loyalties (1986, with fantastic Indian actress Tantoo Cardinal) Bye bye blues (1989) These two have a Canadian cultural edge to it. Not this one : it is universal, but set in Canada. What the three movies have in common is the FEELINGS! They are also very feminine. This one is a romantic comedy, with good acting by Christina Cox and charming Karyn Dwyer. It's fun, human, intelligent. Did I have to say this is a movie about lesbians? Not really : it's just a pretty good romantic comedy. I'd like to see more of Anne Wheeler because I'm sure she's a great talent from Canada. By the way, I'm sure that Canadians from the west don't really know about Quebec's films. Very sad! We make a pretty good lesbian picture too : Revoir Julie. Thanks to miss Wheeler and all the cast.

Before you see Peggy Thompson and Anne Wheeler's "Better Than Chocolate", ask yourself if you want to see yet another lesbian film heavy with issues. I, unfortunately, get easily irritated by movies weighed down with a political agenda, but, fortunately, this one had enough funny charm and emotional content to keep me interested. The framework of the film is your typical girl meets girl, girl almost loses girl because she can't come out to her parents scenario. The very involved subplots, however, create the film's promise.

Lila (Wendy Crewson) is the betrayed house-wife going through a divorce, and mother-cum-roommate (and she's not the only character we get to see cum in the film) of the movie's central character, Maggie (Karyn Dwyer). Aside from the artfully sensual (yummy!) love-making scenes between the main character and her new girlfriend Kim (Christina Cox), the friendship formed between Lila, and her daughter's transgender friend Judy (Peter Outerbridge) makes for some of the movie's most delightful moments.

One character who isn't given nearly enough screen time is Carla (Marya Delver), a gorgeous "omnisexual" (as described by Maggie) feminine biker babe who works at the bookstore that serves as the dramatic hub of the film. She is flirtatious and outrageously forthright with her sexual appetites. Carla seduces Maggie's seventeen year old brother Paul (Kevin Mundy) into exploring new possibilities (after all, "boys like toys, too."). I couldn't help thinking, however, that the writer was, at times, poking gentle fun at her, though with no real disrespect intended.

As an interesting side note, the film steps outside the realm of gender and sexual politics to touch on other sensitive issues. One of those being the role of the artist. Almost all the film's characters are artists in one way or another. From Maggie's window installations, to Lila's forsaken Opera career, to Judy's fantastic nightclub acts, to Kim's paintings, the arts are heavily addressed. In the dialogue between Lila and other characters we see that, as filmmakers, the writer and director have a real grasp on the difficulties of being creators. What is fascinating is that "coming out" as an artist, in the film, is nearly equated with coming out as a lesbian. Aside from the annoying in-your-face rhetorical quality typical of many gay and lesbian films, "Better Than Chocolate" is warmly amusing and appealing to those of any gender or sexual orientation.