One by one she gains allies, first in the form of her landlady, Armande Voizin (Judi Dench - Shakespeare In Love, Pride And Prejudice) and her grandson Luc Clairmont (Aurelien Parent Koenig - debut), which infuriates Luc's mother, Caroline (Carrie-Anne Moss - The Matrix), who has forbidden him from seeing his grandmother. Then she gains a battered woman (Josephine Muscat - The Ninth Gate), whose husband (Peter Stormare - Fargo) the mayor tries to reform in order to prove that his way is better. It doesn't work. Johnny Depp doesn't appear until the second act to reinforce Vianne in her cause and to offer romantic interest. He and his river gypsy friends are also considered undesirables by the town.

What's interesting about this film is that the Christian townspeople are being held hostage by the self-righteous, morally oppressive mayor, and consequently Vianne acts more like a Christian than any of they, even though she is not a believer. She takes a genuine interest in people and tries to help them with her friendship and chocolates. The mood of the film is magical, though magic has nothing to do with it - it's really about love. The question is, will love win out before Vianne gives up and decides her cause is hopeless?

This film is rated PG-13, which is a shame because, if several scenes that are not critical to the story had been toned down or left out, it would have made a wonderful family film. It has a story-book setting and feel that would appeal to any age. Unfortunately, several scenes push it into the category of adult romance. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful story about love in the face of prejudice that all of us need to hear, as well as enough chocolate shown onscreen to satisfy any chocolate lover's craving.

Waitsel Smith, September 3, 2007

Text © 2007 Waitsel Smith. Image © 2000 Miramax. All Rights Reserved.