Mercedes Diane Griffin Forbes
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I still remember watching it in theater with my friend, Ndelea, and all the rush of emotions that went through me the entire time I was watching it. The cinematography is excellent and makes you feel as if you are actually there in person, like a fly on the wall.Peter Outerbridge's portrayal of Judy is superb. When Judy sings "I'm not a F**king Drag Queen", despite the fact the song is very humorous, the pain that Judy feels over not being accepted as a woman is felt with every word. It is by far one of the best moments in the film.Another classic moment in the film is when Lila, portrayed by Wendy Crewson, discovers the liberation of masturbation. Lila is a woman who has no friends, is suffering a divorce, and has found herself disconnected from her daughter. When she finds the box of toys she is at first confused but curiosity takes control and she learns that she can pleasure herself and let go of all that baggage. As she approaches orgasm she is compelled to put down the chocolate she had been obsessively eating. The scene is spectacularly set to classical music and you are lifted up with Lila as she reaches her climax.The lives of these characters are so complex and their stories are told so well that you become swept up in their pain and struggle to be themselves, to find love, and to be accepted.
tsf-1962
This is that rarity, a sexually explicit film that's actually good. Chelsea Clinton-lookalike Karen Dwyer is a college dropout whose family doesn't know she's gay. Just as she's beginning her first serious relationship with beautiful Christina Cox, her mother (a hilarious Wendy Crewson) and teenage brother come for a visit. While Maggie (Dwyer) attempts to hide her relationship, her mother befriends a pre-operative transsexual and her brother makes time with a beautiful, sexually promiscuous bisexual. The movie gets bogged down in politics toward the end, but for the most part it's quite entertaining. Crewson displays an enormous comic talent as a middle aged woman rediscovering her sexuality and the sex scenes between Dwyer and Cox are beautiful and romantic. This film is aimed primarily at the gay/lesbian crowd but should appeal to quite a few straights as well. If you think Canadians are dull, rent this film and see for yourself.
questor2-1
Of the more than one thousand productions I have seen during my lifetime, this is definitely among the top three.It is strong in almost every respect, from its cinematography to its background music.To me, its highest appeal is its unqualified universality of emotion. How many of us have not had a parent step in at some supremely inopportune moment and ruin something valuable in our lives? How many of us have not been hated by someone who sees the world differently? How many of us have not instantly fallen in love? It is almost irrelevant that the production is set in the gay section of Vancouver or that the main characters focus on same sex love. It is emotions common to everyone that give the production its extreme appeal. I was cheering the girls, and would have been very hurt if they had not gotten back together again.I might add that this is the only DVD I have seen in which I enjoyed the director's comments as much as the production itself.Both of the young actresses displayed an amazing variety of facial expressions. The shot focusing on Cox's deep blue eyes while Karyn is unable to confront her mother with the truth is priceless, as is Cox's gesture half hiding her face and half saying "so what" as she flees the applauding crowd after the bathroom scene.The film's only weakness, in my opinion, is that everybody found someone in the end, at least at the very same instant. Life is simply not that generous.In summary, few viewers will be leave this experience feeling worse than when they began.
Nick
I caught this movie on one of the many channels I had back when I had digital cable, and I have to admit, it was rather enjoyable...the sex scenes aren't that bad either.Clichéd? Yes. Stereotypical? Absolutely! I guess the movie's major flaw was trying too hard to portray everyone in the GLBT lifestyles in a positive light. Note to the filmmakers; when you're making a film with a GLBT audience in mind, you're preaching to the choir! What works: The sex scenes: yes, I'll admit it, I'm a horny mo-fo. Normally, I'm one of those few guys who really doesn't enjoy girl-on-girl action, but all I have to say, is DAAAAMMMMNNN! That has some scenes I wouldn't mind trying with my own girlfriend! What doesn't work: A lot of the plot elements can get a little hokey, say, for example, the angry misandristic lesbian beating up on the poor transgendered person. Or the group of Nazi Skinheads who get their jollies beating people up anyways. I guess they had to come up with some conflict, as if one of the central characters trying to hide the relationship from her mom isn't conflict enough! But I digress..."Better than Chocolate" is not supposed to be a thinking-person's drama, you're not supposed to dissect the plot and visuals to find the movie's meaning. That's what films are for (there is a difference!). It's just something to make you feel good at the end, which it does for me...in more ways than one!
AD
