Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Better Than Chocolate is a lesbian romantic comedy about Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) and Kim (Christina Cox), who must keep their relationship a secret when Maggie’s mother and brother move in.
Maggie is a college dropout working at an LGBT bookstore. She also performs at a local lesbian bar, where she lip-synchs and dances. While leaving the club, she gets taunted by a group of men and rescued when a young woman, Kim, drives up in her van. Maggie and Kim exchange glances, then go their separate ways.
The next morning, Maggie, who is living temporarily in the bookstore, gets a call from her mother, Lila (Wendy Crewson). Lila mentions that she got a letter from Maggie’s school acknowledging that she dropped out and asks what her plans are. Instead of telling her mother the truth, Maggie says that she’s working and living in a big apartment. Lila seems pleased to hear it, then explains that she and her husband are getting a divorce. She then tells her that she and Maggie’s brother, Paul (Kevin Mundy), will have to stay with her until she gets on her feet.
Maggie freaks out, then quickly finds an apartment to sublet from a woman who teaches people about safe sex.
Maggie later runs into Kim in the park, where Kim is drawing people to make money. The two talk and then hook up in Kim’s van, which gets towed while they’re inside. The van gets impounded, leaving Kim with no place to live, so Maggie lets Kim move in with her. And when Lila and Paul arrive, the two go out of their way to keep their relationship a secret. And keeping their relationship a secret is even more difficult when Lila becomes friends with Judy (Peter Outerbridge), who is transexual.
Some Thoughts:
Better Than Chocolate is a surprisingly decent movie, especially for an independent film. The acting has a lot to be desired, but it’s better than similar independent lesbian films of the time.
The characters are sexually diverse. There’s straight, bisexual, lesbian, and transsexual. The main story is about the lesbian romance, but the bisexual and transsexual characters have enough of a storyline to discuss the issues they have within the LGBT community.
Of all the characters, Lila, Maggie’s mother, is the most ridiculous. She’s the stereotypical stay at home mom forced into the big world. She drinks wine and is a bit out of touch. When she meets Judy, who is transsexual, the two women hit it off and talk about clothes, colors, and relationships.
Judy’s story feels honest, especially when she’s with Lila. When Lila asks about her love life, Judy phrases things cautiously. It’s obvious that she values her friendship with Lila and is aware that coming out to her too soon could cause problems.
Judy is in love with Frances (Ann-Marie MacDonald), who owns the LGBT bookstore where Maggie works. Since Frances doesn’t return any of Judy’s advances, I kept hoping Judy would get over her. And since Lila and Judy have a better connection, I was hoping they would get together.
Carla (Marya Delver) is never explored past a few lines about being bisexual. Her story seems to be there to address this subset of the LGBT culture but is never discussed in detail.
There’s something missing in the relationship between Maggie and Kim. They have chemistry, but their love for each other is never fleshed out and often feels a bit superficial. And because of that, I was never fully invested in their relationship.
Better than Chocolate spreads itself too thin and doesn’t allow the viewer to care about them. It’s a shame because its heart is the right place.
The Final Verdict:
Better Than Chocolate is a decent movie that suffers from not concentrating enough on the main story. The relationship between Lila and Judy may not be the central plot, but it’s far more interesting than the one between Maggie and Kim. And ultimately, the ending doesn’t deliver the emotional impact that people expect from a romance.
