Better Than Chocolate (1999) User Reviews

Better than double fudge!!!

[junecatpower · 7/10 · 4 September 2004]

I thought I should start closing my blinds at night, since the character of Frances IS me! I was extremely impressed by the two leads, Karen Dwyer and Christina Cox.

Their love making scenes were utterly realistic, a tribute to the acting ability of these two lovely ladies.(unless, of course, they are truly lesbians) But for me, the supporting cast was equally amazing. This is a group of great Canadian actors, who have proven once again that Canada can hold her own when it comes to

the arts. Outstanding performances by Peter Outerbridge, Anne-Marie MacDonald and

Wendy Crewson. I loved every one of you. I think anyone who feels the need to dis this movie is taking life way too

seriously!(Nothing like a dyke with an attitude, eh?)

Like a Leonard Cohen song

[cynharm · 7/10 · 17 September 2002]

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.

It's Never Too Late For Love, Even If It's Battery Operated

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 13 February 2007]

Better Than Chocolate is a Canadian film about the relationship between mother and daughter which turns out to be a lot closer than we're originally led to believe. As the mother, Wendy Crewson appears to be oblivious to the fact that daughter Karyn Dwyer is a lesbian.

At least that's how it appears when she drops in unannounced on her daughter and a recent new girl friend, Christina Cox. The pretext is that Dwyer has dropped out of the university, but Crewson wants to check out more than that.

Acting honors in this film go to Peter Outerbridge who plays the transgender woman Judy, formerly Jeremy. Outerbridge in his own way is playing a role as much a pioneering effort as Hillary Swank in Boys Don't Cry. Had this been a major American film, we might have been talking Oscar for him.

Outerbridge is a wise old soul who's seen life from a few different perspectives. She's been cast out by her family, kind of like Michael Dunn is Ship of Fools. Just as Dunn's parents didn't want a dwarf around and gave him spending money to constantly travel, Outerbridge's parents by him a flat precisely so he can live away from them. It's quite a scene when Judy discovers that the flat is really a kiss off. Crewson and Outerbridge aid each other in their moment of crisis.

If nothing else should have tipped her off that Dwyer was not living the 'normal' life those battery operated sex toys should have said something. Of course Crewson finds they have their uses and she who has said that sex is now being sworn off for chocolate finds that even battery operated love is better than no love at all.

Better Than Chocolate is funny and sweet and endearing all at the same time. A triple threat on the emotions from Anne Wheeler in Canada.

A lesbian midsummer night's dream

[smoothhoney1265 · 24 July 2005]

Well, what can one say about this film? You could just agree to all the bad critics that have been written about it – that "Better than chocolate" is nothing more but a cliché and an unrealistic fairy tale. Fairy tale's the word: What is cinema supposed to be if not a fairy tale? It's unrealistic; it helps us forgetting our daily troubles and allows us to dream and to bathe in romantic feelings. And these are exactly the reasons I recommend "Better than chocolate" and think that it's a splendid movie, a hilarious comedy and a love story so sweet you just get enchanted by it.

It's a classic: The sweet princess, Meggie, just quit university and preferred becoming part of Vancouver's gay scene, performing in a gay bar (and she's so great in it!) and working in a lesbian book store. Things seem to go pretty fine until the day when Maggie's Mum Lila calls and informs our princess that she just left her current husband and wants to move in with Maggie, bringing Maggie's teen brother Paul with her. The problem is: Mum doesn't know (or doesn't want to know) that her little daughter is gay. Things get even more problematic when one night, after her performing at the club, Maggie meets her knight, who does not wear an armour or ride a white horse, but who is an attractive, tough and cool girl named Kim, rides a funky van and lives on the road, earning her money with drawing portraits. When all the characters mentioned above finally find themselves living under the same roof some days later, things become chaotic and almost grotesque cause it's so obvious that Kim and Meggie are a couple but Lila is simply blind for it.

Mind you, the movie also deals with other interesting characters. We get to know Frances, the neurotic owner of the book shop Maggie works in. There is also Judy, who once was Jeremy, but now is a woman and hopelessly in love with Frances. And don't forget Carla, whose favourite pass of time is sex, who seduces almost every person crossing her way, is an expert in the newest *toys* and digs on Maggie as well as her brother Paul.

Of course it's one or two clichés, I mentioned it before. But if you see how lightly and heart-warmingly the story is told, if you hear the hilarious jokes and one-liners, follow the soft filming of the camera you just can't help forgetting about those clichés and falling in love with this movie. For in the middle of this colourful chaos the love story between Kim and Maggie is the calm and comforting pole, it's told in silent pictures and gentle sounds (which become a bit louder when it comes to … well, the making love part). And this beautiful love story has highlights of its own, and I don't want to reveal even one of them. I can only say that much: A lot of colour and … goddesses ;) (everyone who's seen the movie of course knows what I'm talking about) There is also something else I love about this film: Although it's a fairy tale and most parts of it are simply utopic, "Better than chocolate" can be inspiring and show possibilities: The possibility of an alternative life style and that you can be comfortable with it, no matter what others might think, the possibility to break out of certain expectations society burdens us with and the possibility to love differently. For example when Maggie quits her finance studies to live her dream of being an author. So, besides allowing us to dream, this film also gives incredible hope and this might be its greatest strength.

A word on the cast which is simply – brilliant. And before concentrating on one of the protagonists, who in my opinion stood out, I'd like to compliment the others. There is this young actor playing Paul, who up to "Better than chocolate" has had no acting experience but is very good at what he's doing. There is the sex-ridden but likable Carla. The neurotic Frances – Canada's currently probably most famous lesbian actress and author Ann-Marie MacDonald (and according to director Anne Wheeler the only openly gay actress participating in this movie). The icing on the cake in this film are two profound Canadian actors – Wendy Crewson as Lila and Peter Outerbridge as Judy. Wendy (who is probably most familiar as Harrison Ford's wife in "Air Force One") is just outstanding as the confused, sweet and clueless Mum with a weakness for chocolate. Peter Outerbridge is just incredible as Judy and you really have a hard time to believe that this is his first transsexual performance – he's so great in this role and just a beautiful woman. And now let me point out the person who impressed me most with her performance: Christina Cox as Kim. She's hot, she's sexy, she's tough and cool but at the same time so soft and feminine. I think only few actresses can add so many different facets to their role. I mean, she could have easily played a simple butch, but she adds such charisma and dignity to her character – it's just amazing. There, enough said, she's just great.

The movie's soundtrack is a highlight of its own – Sarah McLachlan with "Ice Cream" for example – and perfectly mirrors the film's young spirit, it's modern, it's sexy, it's dreamy and it rocks. And with this I'd like to give "Better than chocolate" three thumbs up – a summer movie with heart, soul, humour and a lot of love.

Not the best lesbian film

[IAmTheEnemy · 6/10 · 10 August 2006]

I liked this movie. It wasn't the best lesbian film I've seen, but it's quite sweet.

I'll get the bad points of the movie out of the way first. My main problem with the film was that the characters weren't really deep. You couldn't really relate to them much as the makers only skimmed the surface of their personalities. I felt the same way with the plot, too. It needed a few viewings before I could really get into this film.

On the other hand. Although a little bland, the characters where still quite sweet. And funny. My favourite being Judy, the loveliest drag-queen ever!

If you like romantic little stories, and are a fan of gay cinema - then you should see this movie.

A Sweet and Funny Movie (Even if you are not a Lesbian)

[magik511 · 7/10 · 12 January 2006]

I have seen this film twice and still find it charming, funny, and touching. I would consider it in the "Romantic Comedy" category of movies, but a particularly good one, and including the sex scenes that most movies in that genre show only in shadow. Although I didn't find it particularly sexy because I'm not attracted to women, I still love watching this film. The characters are extremely believable. Even though it is a relatively light-hearted picture it manages to explore not only issues of sexual identity, but parental acceptance, the ability of a woman to move-on after divorce, the importance of following your dreams, and even how to deal with hate.

Wow!

[Niamh_bermingham · 10/10 · 4 January 2005]

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.

Good lesbian movie--an oxymoron?

[Larri123 · 3/10 · 19 December 2001]

Before Wheeler and Thompson set out to make Better than Chocolate, they interviewed several lesbians about what they wanted to see in a film. Disregarding the fact that the number one response was sex toys (?!), this method here points up the major problem with the film--in trying to be the ultimate lesbian film, it doesn't succeed as a narrative film at all.

First of all is the problem of the romance between the two main characters. In a typical romantic comedy, which this tries to be, regardless of the atypical gender roles, you have a series of problems keeping the couple apart. Here this is not the case--like many other lesbian movies, Better than Chocolate suffers from the misconception that when two lesbians meet, they immediately fall in love. Add to this the fact that neither character has any distinguishable personality traits, and you wind up with a serious lack of plot. No tension here, and no reason to particularly care.

The next problem is the rest of the story (sorry, guys). For whatever reason, in promoting a positive image of lesbians, Better than Chocolate feels the need to stereotype each one of its other characters. So you've got the repressed bookstore owner, repressed transsexual, the repressed housewife, and the "omnisexual" bisexual. The one story line that did seem to go somewhere was the friendship between Lila, the mom, and the transsexual character. But, unfortunately, it took second place to the love story, so no luck there.

The final flaw here is in the censorship subplot, which really has no place in the story--it just feels like the writer had a desire to make a (muddled) political statement. Like the rest of the story lines, it appears out of no where and we never get the feeling that anything is at risk. As a result, the final, dramatic blow up at the end, feels tacked on--an attempt to give the film a dramatic quality it was lacking all along.

Over all, Better than Chocolate has been received pretty well. That its rating on this website is much higher than I believe it deserves seems once again a perfect example of the lesbian population's need for a good, representative film. Trust me, I'd like to see one just as much as anyone, but Better than Chocolate hits way below the mark. It's a shame more lesbian films aren't made because if this movie can do so well, it's a clear example that there's a hungry market out there.

Great film!

[lev-36 · 8/10 · 23 October 2000]

I was expecting a pleasant bit of romantic fluff, but instead found this movie to be hilarious, hot, poignant and well-acted. The humor is all about the difficulties we face in communicating with each other, fears of coming out, of taking risks. The romantic content is passionate and believable. And the ultraviolet Julie Christie number is not to be missed.

Awful... isn't a good enough term

[ksgirl2000 · 1/10 · 27 July 2005]

I heard nothing but how great this movie was and that it was the best "real lesbian" movie out there. Sad to say, this was probably close to the worst lesbian flick I have spent two hours watching. It was so unrealistic that I found it a spoof, more than anything. People in the LGBT community constantly complain about the lack of respect that is given to this lifestyle, with movies like this what are they wanting from people? Straight people have no other basis to judge other than what hate breeds in its own in society, something that there is no control over from the alternative community. So when there is something that can be controlled, like LGBT entertainment, we release ones that are completely juvenile, disrespectful and asinine. It makes the gay lifestyle look like nothing more than a congregation of narcissistic nymphos. Very disappointing on every level.

A beautiful celebration of life, love, and diversity.

[gaburu · 15 April 2004]

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+!

OK lesbian love story

[preppy-2 · 6/10 · 20 September 1999]

Pretty god story about a young lesbian, who has to contend with her mother and brother (both who think she's straight), moving in with her while she falls in love. Not as funny as it sounds. It's got moments, and it's well done but some scenes fall flat, some characters who are interesting but very underdeveloped (her brother in particular), bad dialogue and some VERY poor acting (the lead actress is weak but her mother is HORRIBLY played). Also there's a ludicrous wrap up in which everything ends happily...it doesn't matter that it's totally at odds with everything that happended before it. Still, it's watchable. It shows promise.

Simplicity

[titus7_ · 7/10 · 13 July 2000]

Despite this film having all the ingredients of a complicated, erratic and sexually explicit movie,this film above all else is a testament to love and romance. One should never see this film if its expected to be a satire ,which it does very well at being.Every concept in this film is tightly wrapped in an emotionally pleasing package of love and its unexpected nature.An open mind will make the experience of watching this movie extremely wonderful.

Worse than cheap chocolate

[luciencoolness · 2/10 · 11 November 2004]

This film is certainly not what it's cracked up to be. The film is very boring in fact. The characters are very flat and it seems very much over-directed and unnatural. I got the impression that it's just a weak plot with throw-in-your-face lesbianism that is not erotic at any time. The story is incoherent, forced moralistic and very predictable with lots of stereotypes. I found it very hard to finish watching. I counted just three smiles in this so-called "comedy" and nothing more. At times this film is thoroughly irritating. In short, I can't recommend it at all. I am known to enjoy a good film with a lesbian theme and to me there is no such thing as being "too explicit". But this film is just three smiles short of total crap and therefore worse than cheap chocolate.

The problem with Canadian cinema...

[MarioB · 8/10 · 12 August 2000]

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.

This is a fun movie.

[gtrmn0 · 7/10 · 16 June 2003]

I liked this movie. Even though the premise seems like a heavy subject (coming "out" to a parent), it was dealt with in a serious manner, but without leaving the laughs out. Some very funny parts, some good acting, and voila..... overall a nice, funny movie.

This Movie Is Not Better Than Chocolate

[gbheron · 4/10 · 22 January 2002]

A long time ago, Hollywood ground out a steady stream of sappy, one-dimensional movies glorifying All-American values. Usually placed in an idealized small-town America they extolled family-values, hard work, and patriotism. They were very formulaic, predictable, and usually not entertaining. But wait, they're back. But now they're urban, 'street-smart' and politically correct. And formulaic, predictable and still not entertaining. "Better than Chocolate" is typical of this new genre. Its premise is cute. A young lesbian, not out with her family, is visited by her recently divorced and distraught mother and younger teenage brother. And the live-in lover must pretend not to be the lover, and there's the repressed lesbian bookstore owner, the transgender friend and on and on. It's gay Disney, and unfortunately not entertaining. Don't bother.

Surprise surprise

[teslaman · 8/10 · 29 November 2007]

Well, the drama category is not really my cup of tea but i got stuck when this came on the other night and am now glad that i got stuck.

It's actually not A love story but more like love stories. We have the lesbian couple, the lesbian book store owner who is loved in secret by the transvestite, the main characters brother who meets a bi-sexual girl and more....

It deals with many of the issues people have with sexual multitude, even amongst the lines of people who are not straight. We get to see how these people experience both joy and anger, frustration and satisfaction.

This is a real little gem and everybody should see it. It has a very playful atmosphere and even the sex scenes has that same playfulness to them. It doesn't feel forced or dirty but more like you go with the flow and follow a natural beautiful progress of the relationships. I especially like Karyn Dwyer's effort, natural talent at it's best. It works on many levels and is really clever and well made.

Why not give it a try?

Love , understanding and tolerance

[zutterjp48 · 7/10 · 1 August 2019]

Better than chocolate is a funny and touching comedy about love in Canada. A mother joins her daughter in Vancouver and realizes that her daughter is lesbian.Then the film shows the life of a feminist bookshop and all the people that live around this. I enjoyed very much film,because Anne Wheeler gave to the film a great touch of tenderness and humour (just the title is an example of this humour). Finally the performances of Wendy Crewson (Lila) and Peter Outerbridge (Judy) are excellent.

Phew, what a stinker!

[DrCRM · 3/10 · 2 October 2002]

Poor "screwball" lesbian comedy. Stereotypical characters ( demure effeminate lead who's not out of the closet, butch bohemian artist she falls in love with, mother who doesn't get liberated until she encounters a vibrator, and everyone's white ), no laugh-out-loud moments, no character development to really care about. Doesn't even approach Blake Edwards in his "S.O.B." years, and that's saying something. Naturally, it's only the gay or trans-gendered characters who are "normal". None of the straight characters ( except for the younger brother, a high-school kid ) can accept what's going on. Oh, for the day when a gay character or characters can populate a movie or sitcom, and they're not constantly cracking jokes about their being gay, or being made fun of, but can just behave like everyday people. THAT would be a ground-breaking development.

Delight in the Peripheries

[artvamp · 7 September 1999]

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.

bitter fruit

[sissypower · 6/10 · 3 October 1999]

From the first sight, the first bite, the Cat's Ass, Ten Percent, wayward mom, transgendered heart, Customs banishment, oppression, suppression and rage . . .

Lesbian love conquers all, even when dewily formulaic as it is here, where all character arcs end in a firestorm aftermath's embrace.

Too much of this can make your teeth fall out.

I'd rather have the chocolate

[lisapoet · 2/10 · 3 March 2003]

I think my one-line summary says it all. This movie was so "less-than-memorable," that given the choice of eating chocolate or watching the movie, I'd only pick the movie over white chocolate. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a serious choco-holic.

gay life exposed!

[kristin-crites · 10/10 · 13 August 2005]

Finally a movie FROM the GLBT community FOR the GLBT community, ABOUT the GLBT community!! The ways in which this film explores issues of love, family, identity and the constant fight to have basic human rights (to love and be loved) are a rarity to find, especially in any form following Hollywood film. For once the gay character in a movie isn't the laughing joke of the film, instead the straight person(Maggie's mom, filled with ignorance and anger)is. This movie might be hard to watch if you are caught up in the heteronormative society in which we reside, where minor forms of gay bashing are still acceptable, but will give you a perspective that unless you are part of the community, you have Never thought of. What a great movie!

Interesting, but not spectacular

[APOTimber · 5/10 · 18 April 2006]

To be honest, I had not heard about this movie until last week when I saw a poster advertising it as a free show at the university I work at with a led discussion to follow. I read a brief bit of it before going into it, though other than knowing it was going to deal with homosexual topics, I had no other expectations.

My first thoughts on the movie was that it was like a fantasy. There were many stereotypes, and many of those were portrayed almost to an extreme. The main characters faced little to no gay opposition or hardships that would be expected. There were at least 2 subplots underlying the main plot which I think detracted from the focus. What was the message supposed to be? Was this supposed to be an artistic movie or a movie to educate, because it definitely wasn't a blockbuster aim like Brokeback Mountain.

There were definitely too much cliché and stereotypes for my likes. Since it is an older film, the group I was in discussed if the time of the material was a factor. I pointed to a movie about gay men like The Wedding Banquet from the early 90s as a better movie in my opinion because it was better scripted and the plot lines weren't too diverse.

Was this supposed to be an exploration of gender issues? As a romantic comedy, sad to say, I'd probably rather watch a Hugh Grant movie. However, would I see this movie again? Sure. Would I recommend it to people? Sure, if they don't mind the nudity or sexual issues dealing with lesbians. I give it a 5 because I found portions I could identify with because of my friends. Parts of the movie drew me in; I laughed, I felt pain. The acting wasn't bad, the filmography was pretty good, the soundtrack was good, the direction could have been better.