An overlooked "food movie" - Chocolat

Back in late October, we published a post describing some cool films that have food as a centerpiece. Every now and then, we're going to find new movies to include, and we'll report on some that were simply overlooked.

Such is the case with Chocolat. The movie came out in 2000 with a certain "Oscar pedigree" -- director Lasse Hallstrom had been twice nominated, star Juliette Binoche had won for her work in The English Patient, Judi Dench had been nominated twice by then and has been several times since, Lena Olin was a former nominee, and of course Johnny Depp would go on to future Academy Award consideration.

In fact, Chocolat did earn five Oscar nominations (best picture, best actress, best supporting actress, best music and best adapted screenplay). Alas, it didn't win any. That was the year of Traffic and Gladiator, so a simple little confection (pun intended) like Chocolat didn't stand a chance.

Like all so-called "food movies," this one isn't really about food. But it certainly wouldn't be the same film without culinary delights, either. Chocolat is about love, faith, religion, family, tolerance, prejudice, feminism, redemption, life, death, and ... well, chocolate. The entire flick takes place in a small town in the French countryside and is quite lovely to look at.

This movie is rated PG-13 and is appropriate for everyone except very young children. The sensuality is there, but toned down. Almost no profanity, but there is a scene of violence by an abusive husband which might be shocking to some. Chocolat pops up on cable from time to time. If you like romantic movies, or the countryside of France, or chocolate, or Johnny Depp for that matter, check it out. You might find it to be delicious.