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{{short description|1999 Canadian romantic comedy film}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Better Than Chocolate
| image          = Better Than Chocolate (film).jpg
| caption        =
| director       = [[Anne Wheeler]]
| writer         = [[Peggy Thompson (screenwriter)|Peggy Thompson]]
| producer       = Sharon McGowan<br />Peggy Thompson
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Wendy Crewson]]
* [[Karyn Dwyer]]
* [[Christina Cox]]
* [[Ann-Marie MacDonald]]
* [[Marya Delver]]
* Kevin Mundy
* [[Peter Outerbridge]]
}}
| narrator       = 
| cinematography = [[Gregory Middleton]]
| editing        = Alison Grace
| music          = Graeme Coleman
| distributor    = Motion International<br />[[Trimark Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1999|02|14}}
| runtime        = 102 mins
| country        = [[Canada]]
| language       = English
| budget         = $1.6 million<ref name="Melnyk2004" /> 
}}

'''''Better Than Chocolate''''' is a 1999 [[Cinema of Canada|Canadian]] [[romantic comedy]] film shot in [[Vancouver]] and directed by [[Anne Wheeler]].<ref>[http://www.afterellen.com/movies/21472-review-of-better-than-chocolate "Review of Better Than Chocolate"]. ''AfterEllen'', Aug 13, 2007</ref><ref name="Melnyk2004">{{cite book|author=George Melnyk|title=One Hundred Years of Canadian Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h_OqzHvNKdwC&pg=PA339|year=2004|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-8444-6|pages=173, 339}}</ref>

==Plot==
{{More plot|date=June 2020}}
Maggie ([[Karyn Dwyer]]) has moved out on her own and has started a relationship with Kim ([[Christina Cox]]). Maggie's mother Lila ([[Wendy Crewson]]) and brother are forced to move into her loft sublet with her, but unaware that she is a [[lesbian]]. Maggie's freedom is compromised, and she believes she must keep her blossoming affair a secret. The clandestine romance introduces Maggie's family to a host of new experiences, many of which are "better than chocolate".<ref name="nytimes" /> The story features Judy, a friend of Maggie's who is a [[transgender]] woman. Judy develops a friendship with Maggie's Mom and helps her to repair her relationship with her daughter. Judy's love interest is Frances, owner of the book shop in which Maggie works and purveyor of [[LGBT]] literature.

==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
* [[Veena Sood]] as Religious Zealot

==Background ==
The film was created with a budget of $1.6 million.<ref name="Melnyk2004" /> It was co-produced by Peggy Thompson and Sharon McGowan.<ref>[https://www.proquest.com/docview/437999587 "Nothing better than Chocolate for veteran director Wheeler"]. ''Toronto Star'' - Toronto, Ont. Walker, Susan. Aug 13, 1999. Page: E1</ref>

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 protester.

The plot line about the bookstore is a fairly direct reference to Vancouver's [[Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium]] and its [[Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada (Minister of Justice)|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."<ref>[http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200003/30/0330206.htm Statement for the decision on a poster for a Category III film]</ref>  An advertisement in the ''[[San Diego Union-Tribune]]'' was also removed, due to the word "lesbian" being present on the movie poster.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/torts-intentional-torts-libel-slander/6701688-1.html San Diego Union-Tribune Refuses to Run The Word 'Lesbian' in Advertising]</ref>

==Soundtrack==
The soundtrack of the film was released as a CD in 1999 on Lakeshore Records.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/better-than-chocolate-mw0000256186 "Original Soundtrack Better Than Chocolate"]. ''AllMusic'', Review by Stacia Proefrock</ref>
;Track listing:
# Sexy - West End Girls
# When I Think Of You - Melanie Dekker
# 32 Flavors - Ani DiFranco
# Julie Christie - Lorraine Bowen
# Perfect Fingers - Tami Greer
# Let's Have Sex - Studio Kings 2.0/Trippy
# In My Mind - Trippy
# My Place - Edgar
# I'm Not A Fucking Drag Queen - Peter Outerbridge
# Stand Up - Ferron
# Night - Feisty
# Long Gone - Kelly Brock
# Pure (You're Touching Me) - West End Girls

==Reception==
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|46|6|26|Some things are ''Better Than Chocolate'', while some are far worse – and this would-be romance fails to deliver a filling morsel.}}<ref>{{cite web |title= Better than Chocolate (1999) |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/better_than_chocolate |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date= 2022-11-19 }}</ref> {{MC film|59|18}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Better Than Chocolate Reviews|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/better-than-chocolate|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=2022-12-03}}</ref>

Stephen Holden of the ''New York Times'' gave the film a positive review and wrote: "the movie gushes with so much romantic optimism and good humor that it has the effervescence of an engaging musical comedy".<ref name="nytimes">{{cite web |date= 13 August 1999 |last= Holden |first= Stephen |author-link= Stephen Holden |title= FILM REVIEW; The Many Flavors of Love, For Just About Any Taste |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/13/movies/film-review-the-many-flavors-of-love-for-just-about-any-taste.html |website= [[The New York Times]] |url-status= live |url-access= registration |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150527101720/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/13/movies/film-review-the-many-flavors-of-love-for-just-about-any-taste.html |archive-date= 2015-05-27 }}</ref>

==Awards==
The film screened at film festivals around the world and was ranked 31st on ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''{{'}}s Top 200 [[independent film]]s list of 1999.<ref>[http://www.popmatters.com/feature/71692-decade-dense-the-60-best-films-of-1999-part-3a/ "The Sixth Sense to Fight Club (August - October 1999)"]. ''Pop Matters'', 24 March 2009</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of LGBT films directed by women]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091419/http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=44&csid1=357&navid=87&fid3=555&offset= Better Than Chocolate] at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20070502043116/http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp Canadian Film Reference Library]
* {{IMDb title|0168987|Better Than Chocolate}}
* {{Mojo title|betterthanchocolate}}

{{Anne Wheeler}}
{{Inside Out Audience Award, Feature}}

[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:Canadian romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:Lesbian-related films]]
[[Category:Canadian LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:Films about transgender women]]
[[Category:1999 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Films set in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Films shot in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Films directed by Anne Wheeler]]
[[Category:1999 LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Trimark Pictures films]]
[[Category:1990s Canadian films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in film]]
[[Category:Advertising and marketing controversies in film]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]]