Chocolat

I watched this movie a very long time ago. After reading the book I had the urge to watch it again today. Thanks to a super download speed despite having used up this month's 15 GB quota I watched it today. 

Chocolat is based on the book by Joanne Harris. It stars Juliette Binoche as Vianne Rocher, Johnny Depp as Roux, Judi Dench as Armande, Alfred Molina as Comte de Reynaud and Victoire Thivisol as Anouk.


Vianne is actually a witch who travels from city to city with her daughter Anouk helping people. She moves to a quiet French village and opens a chocolate shop during Lent. Lent is when Christians give up on luxuries to observe a period of penance. The chocolate shop pisses off the Mayor Reynaud and he starts preaching against Vianne in the church. But Vianne wins over people with her hot chocolate and her chocolates help people with their problems. It helps a couple's sex life, helps Josephine leave her abusive husband, makes Armande (her land lady) open up to her, helps another old guy propose to the woman he has liked for a long time etc.

Everything is not hunky dory though. Reynaud finds ways to trouble and make life difficult for Vianne. Specially when Vianne starts socializing with outsiders like Roux. 

Oh god!! Johnny Depp is so hot... slight stubble... long hair... a guitar. It's torture to watch him like that and not be able to reach out and touch him. 

The movie ends on a good note. Vianne is accepted by the village, Reynaud realizes the error of his ways after a night of binging on the chocolates by breaking into the shop, Roux comes back, Vianne resists the urge to movie cities again since Anouk does not like being uprooted every few years, Armande dies after a grand party with her friends and Josephine takes over the cafe of her abusive husband. 

The book is not as exciting as the movie. It's quite slow and nothing much happens till the end. 
The movie is so much better. I just wish the actress was prettier. I mean, if you are going to have her and Johnny in the same frame she better look fantabulous (forgive me, I have the urge to use this non-existent word today). In the book Roux does sleep with Vianne but he ends up with Josephine and Vianne gets pregnant with his baby. That cannot happen in the movie because it's Mr Depp. He cannot end up with the side kick. Only the heroine will do for him. I also realized I cannot think of any woman for who I could say 'Johnny is lucky to have her'. Women, any woman, are lucky to have him. The other way round does not exist. 

Chocolat is a really sweet, feel good movie. 
And yes, it has lots and lots of chocolates. I need to go have a chilli hot chocolate at Choko La today else I will be like a drug addict without her poison of choice. 
The withdrawal symptoms include ranting, tweeting, writing stupid stuff on blogs, flirting, making hubby do household work, posting a million fb statuses in 1 day etc etc. Trust me, you do not want that.