Search - Better Than Chocolate on DVD


Better Than Chocolate
Better Than Chocolate
Actors: Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Marya Delver
Director: Anne Wheeler
Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy
UR     1999     1hr 41min

Better than Chocolate is a sexy romp of love and lust with surprising results. Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) meets the woman of her dreams Kim (Christina Cox) just hours before her mother Lila (Wendy Crewson) and brother Paul (Kevi...  more »

     

Larger Image

Movie Details

Actors: Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Marya Delver
Director: Anne Wheeler
Creators: Gregory Middleton, Christopher Adkins, Peggy Thompson, Rosamond Norbury, Sharon McGowan, Wolfram Tichy
Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Gay & Lesbian
Studio: Lions Gate
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen,Letterboxed - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 12/28/1999
Original Release Date: 01/01/1999
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/1999
Release Year: 1999
Run Time: 1hr 41min
Screens: Color,Widescreen,Letterboxed
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 2
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Languages: Spanish
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Similar Movies

Loving Annabelle
   UR   2006   1hr 16min
Imagine Me You
Director: Ol Parker
   R   2006   1hr 34min
High Art
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
   R   2004   1hr 41min

Similarly Requested DVDs

Married Life
   PG-13   2008   1hr 31min
   
Laurel Canyon
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
   R   2003   1hr 43min
   
Changeling
Director: Clint Eastwood
   R   2009   2hr 21min
   
What Doesn't Kill You
Director: Brian Goodman
   R   2009   1hr 40min
   
Deception
   R   2008   1hr 47min
   
Wall-E
Single-Disc Edition
Director: Andrew Stanton
   G   2008   1hr 38min
   
True Blood The Complete First Season
HBO Series
   2009   12hr 0min
   
Serenity
Widescreen Edition
Director: Joss Whedon
   PG-13   2005   1hr 59min
   
Tenure
Director: Mike Million
   R   2010   1hr 29min
   
 

Movie Reviews

Screwball romance meets '90's lesbian chic
Tcaalaw | Denver, CO USA | 12/27/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)

"This movie will seem very familiar to most long-time movie watchers as it is in many ways a remake of the vintage screwball comedies of the early '30's but with a decidedly '90's twist. The heroine of the film is Maggie, a young woman who has dropped out of university to try and find herself as an artist. She also supplements her income from painting by working at a bookstore which serves the LesBiGayT (Lesbian-Bisexual-Gay-Transsexual) community of a small British Columbian town.Maggie's life is greatly complicated when, on the same day, she begins to fall in love with an itinerant painter named Kim, and she receives word that her mother and teenage brother are going to be coming to town to stay with her. This is particularly problematic because Maggie hasn't disclosed her sexual orientation to her family.A certain amount of predictable hijinks ensue as Maggie tries to keep her family from deducing the truth about her relationship with Kim. She also, of course, must keep them from figuring out that anything is "out-of-place" about her friends and co-workers. As well, there are several sub-plots introduced to give the film more political relevancy, including Canada's strict censorship laws and the subject of anti-transsexual discrimination in the LesBiGayT community, however they are not especially well developed.In conclusion, this film is very funny at some points, but moves very predictably at others. It is a rather light-hearted take on lesbian romance and coming-out issues, but the sub-plots occasionally weigh it down. Since most of the sub-plots contained enough potential to be films of their own, the film-makers could have dropped some of them from this picture to spend more time exploring Maggie and Kim's relationship. That said, I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies and has an open mind."
No Surprises Here...
GLBT | Illinois | 08/16/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)

"There's no shortage of mediocre gay/lesbian movies out these days, in which we follow the trials and tribulations of a group of friends (gay, lesbian, maybe an occasional trans) as they fall in and out of love and do a lot of dancing. "Better than Chocolate" is another one of those movies and it's okay for what it is, but I can't help wishing these movies would aim just a little bit higher.As with most films in this genre, there's the central love story, here a sort of instant-fall-in-love scenario between two women, both of whom are essentially nice, attractive, etc. The "character flaw" of one is that she lives on the road and always leaves when the going gets tough; the other one's "flaw" is that she hasn't told her mother that she's gay, yet, and hasn't really committed to her identity as a lesbian. So, they fall in love, the mother comes to stay with her daughter, hijinks ensue. There are a few subplots tossed in, the most interesting of which centers around the one transgender character who is hoping (in vain) that her parents have finally accepted her.The good things about this movie? Well, for one thing, there are a couple of truly erotic scenes between the two main characters, and well done erotica is a rarity in ANY genre of film. Also, there are a couple of song/dance routines that are performed by the main characters that are truly nifty. As a matter of fact, I wish they'd done more of that and less of the soap-opera-y stuff. Perhaps the biggest flaw in the film is just how predictable it all is. You know who's going to end up together, you know that the mother will eventually find out the truth and, after a bit of shell-shock, will accept her daughter as a lesbian, etc. There are no surprises. And the political subtext (censorship is bad, violent skin-heads are bad, prejudice is bad, etc.) never risks challenging its viewers; it's pretty much a given that anyone who's going to see this movie is going to agree with all the opinions expressed within it.So, if you're in the mood for yet another gay/lesbian comedy/drama, you could do worse than this one. But don't go into this expecting anything profound or brilliant... "Better than Chocolate" never challenges or surprises, it only re-affirms what's already been said in other, similar movies."
Better Than Chocolate between...
D. Boyland | Dallas,Texas | 02/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I give this movie five out of five stars. Although it moves rather quickly you can't help being hook. Twenty minutes of the movie has past and Maggie, 19, not-quite-out, college dropout, and working at Ten Percent bookstore (no it's not a discount store) meets Kim, a nomadic artist, butch but sweet and romance starts. There's a scene that will leave many people exploring the arts.Within the first twenty minutes, Maggie meets and falls in love with vivacious Kim, helps her conservative lesbian boss fight customs who seem to be trying to put her out of business. Oh, don't forget Maggie has to find a place to live, because her newly divorce mother, Lila is moving in with her along with sibling, Paul, neither who know that Maggie's been living in a bookstore since she quite law school, and she's gay! Couple this with her omisexual co-worker, and transgender friend, Judy, who has love and parent issues of her/his own, and you've got a great story.I almost cracked up when Lila goes..."Kim do you have a boyfriend?" and Kim replies, "No...Funny that!" Everyone seems to be in on the joke, but Lila who replies, "What's wrong with boys?" Maggie's fighting off an uncontrollable need for laughter and the audience does too. Wendy Crewson as Lila is an added addition to this romantic comedy.All said in done, I wonder what it's like to live in that world. Definitely never a dull experience. This is a must see regardless of your lifestyle."
Entertaining
J. M. Zuurbier | Canada | 02/02/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE is a must see movie in my opinion. It centers around Maggie, and her family and friends. Maggie is a lesbian living away from home, and her mom and brother. One night after almost being attacked, she encounters Kim. A few days later she runs into Kim again and they fall for each other. It was very sudden how they got together, within a few weeks saying that they were in love. Maggie's mother Lily and her brother come and live with Maggie, which creates a problem for her. Maggie is not out to her mother and wants to live her life and still maintain to keep her sexuality a secret. She works in a bookstore with Francis and Carla, and their transgendered friend Judy is often around. The story is enriched because it involves many stories which fold together. Lily redefining herself and discovering herself again, Judy finding love with long time crush Frances, Maggie's brother beginning a relationship with Carla, and more. One of the subplots centers around censorship, which was a well used plot in the movie. There is some great scenes, such as the erotic scene with body painting, and Maggie making a statement against censorship by posing nude in the bookstore. Overall a well acted movie, perhaps a bit convinient, but overall entertaining in the end."