80
It's so easy to be mesmerized by Chocolat's brilliant indulgences that one abandons reason altogether.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
So assured in its manipulative prowess that only afterward do you realize how fully you've been worked over.
80
Chocolat is a seriocomic plea for tolerance, gift-wrapped in the baby blue colors of a fairy tale and served up with a sybaritic smile.
50
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
More sugary than satisfying.
40
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
I can only bestow this adaptation of Joanne Harris's bestselling novel with such faint praise as "pleasant" and "mildly disarming."
63
Charlotte Observer by Lawrence Toppman
Certainly satisfies our hunger for a light, bright dessert, yet it may leave you hungry for more.
67
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
It's as agreeably sweet as advertised, with a particularly yummy performance by Juliette Binoche.
80
While there are scenes of wrenching emotional openness and spontaneous charm -- largely due to the irresistible allure and impeccable craft of its ensemble cast -- the degree of calculation apparent in its plot and images undermines its efforts to move and seduce.
50
Made with a sort of tasteful vulgarity, this movie never disappoints the slack-minded audience's anticipation of the humanistically healing banality, the life-crushing behavioral cliché.
91
Portland Oregonian by Shawn Levy
It's built of such exquisite craft -- the acting, the decor, the photography, the music -- that to refuse it is to refuse the very sensations that draw us to art, romance and maybe even life itself.
Although somewhat lacking in depth and development, "Chocolat" is a feel-good film that is pleasing to all your senses. Depp and Binoche live up to their superstar names, but in a much more subtle and soft-hearted fashion than usual. Overall, it is a pleasant film filled with charm----not a must-watch, but a good film for a light-hearted afternoon.