Screening Log: Chocolat (2000)

February 14, 2008

I avoided this one as long as I could courtesy of my instinctive aversion to hype, but Chocolat turned out to be a much better film than I expected. Juliette Binoche is (as always) radiant, and Johnny Depp– a potentially great actor hamstrung by his own fame– gives a fine, understated performance. Predictable in its outlines, the film is better than it should be thanks to strong supporting performances by Judy Dench, Alfred Molina and even Carrie Moss– in possibly her least wooden performance ever– among others. There’s a bit of Amelie style magic and wimsy at work here, though ultimately this film is on a different, lower plane than that masterpiece.

Tags: cinema, film, Screening Log