The Chocolate War (film)

The Chocolate War is a 1988 American drama film based on Robert Cormier's novel of the same name, about a young man who rebels against the ingrained hierarchy of an elite Catholic school. It was the directorial debut of Keith Gordon, and stars John Glover, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Wallace Langham, and Doug Hutchison. Jonathan D. Krane produced it after seeing Static, a short film Gordon wrote.

Plot

The film offers a portrait of the hierarchical structure of a Catholic school, both formal and informal. New student Jerry Renault (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) must submit to the bizarre rituals of his peers and the expectations of the school's administration by selling chocolates as a fundraiser.

Cast

• John Glover as Brother Leon
• Ilan Mitchell-Smith as Jerry Renault
• Doug Hutchison as Obie Jameson
• Wallace Langham as Archie Costello
• Corey Gunnestad as Roland "Goober" Goubert
• Brent Fraser as Emile Janza
• Robert Davenport as Brian Cochran
• Jenny Wright as Lisa
• Bud Cort as Brother Jacques
• Adam Baldwin as Bill Carter
• Ethan Sandler as David Caroni

Production

• Doug Hutchison, who portrayed 18-year-old Obie Jameson, was 27 when this movie was filming.
• The film had a paltry music budget of about $15,000. Most of the artists featured on the soundtrack allowed the filmmakers to use their songs cheap. David Bowie, however, asked for $100,000 to utilize his song "Heroes" during the final scene and credits, so Kate Bush's "Running Up that Hill" was substituted.

Release

On a $500,000 budget, the film grossed a mere $303,624 and it considered a box office flop.

The film was released on DVD on April 17, 2007. The special features consist of:

• Audio commentary by director Keith Gordon
• Interview with director Keith Gordon

External links

• The Chocolate War at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chocolate War at Box Office Mojo