Better Than Chocolate
| Better Than Chocolate | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Anne Wheeler |
| Produced by |
Sharon McGowan Peggy Thompson |
| Written by | Peggy Thompson |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Graeme Coleman |
| Cinematography | Gregory Middleton |
| Edited by | Alison Grace |
| Distributed by |
Motion International Trimark Pictures |
Release date | February 14, 1999 |
Running time | 102 mins |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Better Than Chocolate is a 1999 Canadian romantic comedy movie shot in Vancouver directed by Anne Wheeler.[1][2]
Plot
Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) has recently moved out on her own and has started a relationship with Kim (Christina Cox). However, Maggie's mother Lila (Wendy Crewson) and brother, who are forced to move into her loft sublet with her, are unaware that she is a lesbian. Maggie's freedom is compromised, and she believes she must keep her blossoming affair a secret. However, the clandestine romance introduces Maggie's family to a host of new experiences, many of which are "better than chocolate".[3]
The cast also includes Ann-Marie MacDonald as Frances, the owner of a lesbian bookstore where Maggie works, and Peter Outerbridge as Judy, a trans woman with a crush on Frances.
Cast
- Karyn Dwyer as Maggie
- Christina Cox as Kim
- Peter Outerbridge as Judy
- Ann-Marie MacDonald as Frances
- Wendy Crewson as Lila | Maggie's Mom
- Kevin Mundy as Paul | Maggie's Brother
- Marya Delver as Carla
- Tony Nappo as Tony
- Jay Brazeau as Mr. Marcus
- Beatrice Zeilinger as Bernice
Awards
The film screened at film festivals around the world and was ranked 31st on The Hollywood Reporter's Top 200 independent films list of 1999.[4]
Background
The film was created with a budget of $1.6 million.[2] It was co-produced by Peggy Thompson and Sharon McGowan.[5]
The film takes its name from a lyric in Sarah McLachlan's song "Ice Cream", "Your love is better than chocolate". Veena Sood, the sister of McLachlan's then-husband Ashwin Sood, has a small role in the film as a religious protestor.
The plot line about the bookstore is a fairly direct reference to Vancouver's Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium and its travails with Canada Customs. The bookstore is thanked in the credits. Ann-Marie MacDonald, who plays the bookstore's owner, is a well-known Canadian author.
The movie poster, which shows two women embracing and one woman's naked back, was banned by the Hong Kong Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority as it was deemed "offensive to public morality, decency and ordinary good taste."[6] An advertisement in the San Diego Union-Tribune was also removed, due to the word "lesbian" being present on the movie poster.[7]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film was released as a CD in 1999 on Lakeshore Records.[8]
References
- ↑ "Review of Better Than Chocolate". AfterEllen, Aug 13, 2007
- 1 2 George Melnyk (2004). One Hundred Years of Canadian Cinema. University of Toronto Press. pp. 173, 339. ISBN 978-0-8020-8444-6.
- ↑ "FILM REVIEW; The Many Flavors of Love, For Just About Any Taste". New York Times. By STEPHEN HOLDEN August 13, 1999
- ↑ "The Sixth Sense to Fight Club (August - October 1999)". Pop Matters, 24 March 2009
- ↑ "Nothing better than Chocolate for veteran director Wheeler". Toronto Star - Toronto, Ont. Walker, Susan. Aug 13, 1999. Page: E1
- ↑ Statement for the decision on a poster for a Category III film
- ↑ San Diego Union-Tribune Refuses to Run The Word 'Lesbian' in Advertising
- ↑ " Original Soundtrack Better Than Chocolate". AllMusic, Review by Stacia Proefrock
External links
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