Many lesbian movies are long on charm and short on production values; Better Than Chocolate has a solid dose of both and steamy sex scenes to boot. Our heroine Maggie (Karyn Dwyer), a clerk at a lesbian bookshop, meets footloose butch Kim (Christina Cox) and, after Kim's van is towed away, they move in together. Unfortunately for their romantic bliss, Maggie's mother, Lila (Wendy Crewson), and teenage brother move in that very evening thanks to Lila's impending divorce. But what really complicates matters is that Maggie can't bring herself to come out to her mother. Even when she tries, Lila steamrollers through the conversation, as if she knows what's coming and doesn't want to hear it. Interwoven with this is the struggle of Judy (Peter Outerbridge), a male-to-female transsexual who's in love with the bookshop's owner, Frances (Ann-Marie MacDonald), who's freaking out because customs officers are holding a list of books at the border that they claim are obscene. The overlapping plots are deftly juggled, the personal and political are compellingly interwoven, and, most satisfying of all, the characters have problems that aren't going to be easily resolved. A handful of candy-coloured lip-synching musical numbers give the movie some flash and the sex scenes give it some heat, but it's the elements of sorrow and ambiguity that really make the joy in Better Than Chocolate something to savour. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

One I won't recommend. The only good thing about it was the fact that I got to hold my girlfriend's hand while watching it!!

From start to finish, this was a most disappointing viewing from every angle. I have hardly come across a more far-fetched, incoherent and boring storyline. And there are bad ones out there. The acting performances were abysmal even for a school play, across the board. And the sex.... clumsy when depicted, scary when insinuated. More than once was I tempted to fast forward, fearful of what might come up next. (No, they won't show that ... oh yes, they did...)

Every possible cliche featured, stereotypes over-used and worn out, there is no value in this movie. It not only suffers from lack of talent, but also an utter lack of care. Riddled with mistakes, a ridiculous plot spiked with predictable developments - it actually made me angry that someone allowed this movie to be released.

Yes it's corny, and very American but it's a great film. One of the few proper cinematic quality lesbian films. Good acting. Good fun. Realistic love scenes. What more could you want.

I thought this film was brilliant, one to watch again and again. The best lesbian rom com I've ever seen. I also loved the storylines going on around the main story.

One of the worst films I've ever watched. I would have turned it off if it weren't for the fact that I'm too stubborn to 'waste' money on something I couldn't even finish watching. The story is unbelievable, the acting poor and the cliches abundant. An embarassment to the lesbian community.

One of the worst films I've ever watched. I would have turned it off if it weren't for the fact that I'm too stubborn to 'waste' money on something I couldn't even finish watching. The story is unbelievable, the acting poor and the cliches abundant. An embarassment to the lesbian community.