Review of Better Than Chocolate (1999) by Serkan S — 24 Dec 2007

At first glance, the premise of "Better Than Chocolate" seems quite promising: zooming at lesbianism in its microcosm, and putting its repressed lifestyle on screen in a way filled with romance, humor and color. Nevertheless, the film fails to do so. As the story progresses, it turns out to be an superficial, artificial and one-dimensional flick that should not to be taken seriously. I really wanted to like it; but for all my positive intentions, I just can't.

First off, the film suffers under the heavy weight of poor character development. All characters, from curlyhead protagonist Maggie to cardboard-thin transsexual Judy; from chocolate-lover Lila to world-weary bookstore owner Frances; all characters are stereotypical and less than one-dimensional. None is more believable than the other. They have no discernible personality traits and are all equally shallow as if they were just cartoon cutouts of a sleazy lesbian comic book. Although the basic theme of the film is the romance betweeen two nubile girls, I found their chemistry weak; neither brings any complexity or depth to their roles.

The main problem is that "Better Than Chocolate" falls into the pitfall of many moron-oriented comedy flicks: depending too much on stereotypes, awkward occurrences and sexual references. Some might find it funny because these elements are a laugh riot.

Overall, no cinematic value at all. Amateurish at best.