Como agua para chocolate (1992) Reviews

• Rich and satisfying

  saraarts2000-05-28

  Years ago, in California, I walked into a gas station convenience store to buy some consumable or other. The man who took my money was a Mexican emigre, and he saw that I was carrying a copy of the book Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. He asked how I liked it, and I told him I was loving it. He told me not to miss the movie. "Oh," I answered, "but I always worry that the movie will never be as good as the book." "It doesn't matter," he told me. "This is a very great film. And it is the first real Mexican film I have ever seen shown in this country. You know, to everybody, not just the Mexican community." I smiled and told him I would check it out, but honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about. After all, I knew who Dolores Del Rio and Cantinflas were, and the movies with them that I had seen were shown in L.A., to everybody. But now, at last, I have seen this movie, and now, at last, I know what this guy was talking about. Like, wow! This really is a real Mexican film! Art! Cinema! More than just a bit of popular fluff! Tender, compassionate and very witty, like the book on which it is based, this movie celebrates Mexican culture -- not just on the food, the preparation of which forms the premise of the story, but as kind of a rollicking take on the history of the young country at the turn of the century. It celebrates the music, the style of life on a ranch, the strength of the extended family, the beauty of the land, and the ethnic mixing pot that is every Mexican. There is so much reckless joy and passionate love in this film, even when it portrays pain. It openly depicts female eroticism. (Plus, for a big change from US cinema, we get to see beautiful men and women of many shapes, sizes and colors all on the same screen.) The acting is flawless, and the star, Lumi Cavazos, is absolutely charming, full of life and credibility. The only flaws I found in this film were minor and had to do with timing. For example, the final ascent to the climax seems to have been shortchanged a little bit. I would have liked to reach through this scene a little more slowly. To judge Mexican cinema by the type of films I had seen before this one would be like judging U.S. cinema on the basis of Jerry Lewis or some cheesy melodramas from the '40s and '50s, but not taking into account any of our real film art. I'd love to know what else I've missed. Can't wait to find out.

• Let it cast its spell on you

  dwr2462006-03-07

  When I first saw this movie, I thought I didn't like it. But when I found that I could think of nothing else for the next several days, I realized that it had cast its spell on me. Indeed, it will take you to a magical place if you let it. The plot is apparently a common one in Spanish literature. A woman in a loveless but proper marriage has three daughters. Shortly after the birth of the youngest, her husband dies, leaving her a widow with a ranch to run and three daughters to raise. Family tradition dictates that the youngest daughter must never marry, but rather stay and care for the mother as she ages. It is this youngest daughter, Tita (Lumi Cavazos), that we follow as she struggles with this oppressive tradition, which her mother, Elena (Regina Torne) forces upon her. Tita, a beautiful young woman, is loved by Pedro (Marco Leonardi), but his request for her hand in marriage is spurned by Elena, who suggests he marry her eldest daughter, the homely Rosaura (Yareli Arizmendi). Pedro does this so he can live at the ranch and be near Tita. Tita's other sister, Gertrudis (Claudette Maille) and her nurse, Nacha (Ada Carrasco) are sympathetic to her plight. Rosaura is oblivious of Pedro's preference for her sister. Elena, however, is quite well aware of it, and it only serves to enhance her cruelty towards Tita. It's a no win situation for Tita, but she manages to make the best of it, by putting her repressed emotions into her cooking, with some surprising results. It's not the pleasantest of stories, nor the most sensible. One would think that Elena, who is supposed to be a fairly intelligent woman, would treat Tita more kindly since she is forcing Tita to stay with her. Their conflict resonates throughout the movie, driving the story along with a great deal of power. Along the way, we get a little magic, a lot of humor, and an unfortunately tragic ending. And it is a tale that stays with you long after the movie has finished. The acting is wonderful. Cavazos gives us a heroine you can't help liking. Balancing her is Torne, who plays Elena with malice that would give even Joan Crawford pause. Arizmendi does a nice job with Rosaura, giving us a character who starts out pleasant enough, but whose upset at what befalls her causes her to become just like her mother. Maille's Gertrudis is a wonderful, if slightly manipulative, free spirit. Leonardi's Pedro is a bit wimpy, making me wonder what Tita and Rosaura see in him, but still turns in a good performance. The cinematography is gorgeous, giving an enjoyable view of the Mexican countryside. And the presentation of the food is stunning, making your mouth water. This film is a delight for the senses, and one that is well worth seeing.

• Very enjoyable movie, educational and entertaining

  dthal-12005-05-04

  Like Water for Chocolate is a wonderful romantic movie set in Mexico at the turn of the 20th century during the Mexican revolution. It is the story of a woman named Tita and the love of her life Pedro. When Tita is young, Pedro asks Tita's mother for her permission to marry Tita; however, due to the fact that Tita is the youngest daughter, family tradition bans her from marrying and she must remain unwed to care of her mother. Pedro then marries Rosaura, Tita's sister, and tells his father that he is only marrying Rosaura to be closer to Tita. Very upset by all of this and her loveless situation, Tita infuses her passion and love for Pedro into her food and thus, when people consume her cooking they become intensely aroused, at one point resulting in her sister Gertrudis getting lustfully swept away by a revolutionary soldier. Tita's mother sees that she and Pedro are becoming quite close and so she sends Pedro and Rosaura off to go and live in San Antonio. Tita becomes very depressed and even more depressed when she hears that Pedro and Rosaura's son Roberto has died; so depressed that her mother sends her to an asylum. At the asylum, Tita is brought back to health by a doctor named John Browne. No sooner does Tita begin to recover when her mother is injured by rebel soldiers in a raid and she is forced to return home to her ranch. When Tita returns home, her mother is very bitter and refuses to eat thinking that Tita's food is poisoned and soon dies. After Tita's mother dies, Tita is allowed to marry and the doctor, John Browne, proposes. John asks Pedro to bless the marriage and when talking to Tita about this Pedro lustfully takes her virginity. The movie continues with the main premise of who Tita will choose to spend her life with, Pedro or John Browne and her battle against her mother's ghost. The movie interestingly depicts revolutionary Mexico and the soldiers involved. The Mexican Revolution was mainly between supporter of Díaz, very conservative, and supporters of Madero and Zapata who believed in land reform and more help to the indigenous. The fighting between the two factions continued quite intensely until February 9, 1913 when President Wilson sent Madero a message saying that his fighting in Mexico City was dangerous to U.S. citizens and property. Madero hated this foreign intervention, but Huerta was placed in power to quell the fighting. Huerta was well liked by the aristocracy, the capitalists, and church but was hated by Zapata, Pancho Villa, Carranza and Obregón who led the opposition right after his induction as president. The fighting then continued and later even began within the liberal faction, but died down when Carranza was named President. The movie does a good job showing the different types of soldiers, those with Díaz and those with Madera and Zapata. Tita's sister Gertrudis runs off with a revolutionary and returns later as a general in charge of an army of fifty five men. Tita's mother was harmed by soldiers as well, but a more violent type of soldier. The movie does an excellent job illustrating the uncertainty of the period and the different roles people played. The history is accurate, but I thought it might be a bit helpful for their to be a little bit more background for it could be hard to someone who does not know about the Mexican Revolution to understand what is happening. All in all, the acting was very good, the storyline was enticing, and the cinematography was excellent. It is definitely a movie worth watching, both as entertainment and as something educational. Rating this movie out of ten points, ten being the highest, I give it a ten easily. It is a very enjoyable movie.

• A cookbook turned fairy tale

  donaldavis2003-05-13

  Usually when I read a book, I am disappointed by the movie; there is so much more in the written word than can be put on screen. And when I see a movie I never want to read the book afterwards. This was the first movie that I read the book after seeing the movie; Como Agua Para Chocolate is THAT good a movie! And the book is WONDERFUL! The fairy tale aspect of this movie is told subtly, but with a strong Hispanic sense of mysticism-- you have the evil (step)mother, the heroine as Virgin Mary, who has magical powers, unrequited love, the unobtainable prince, and other classic fairy tale elements. This combines with the real elements of the Mexican Revolution and old world family practices revolving around family relations, martimony, and most of all cooking. Food plays a major role in this movie, but even more so in the book. I recommend both the book and the movie.

• A visually exciting, intensely erotic movie

  FrankL1999-06-17

  This is a wonderful, fanciful and very erotic movie. It is a rare film that is as good as the book on which it is based. It was a wise decision to have Laura Esquivel, the author of the book, write the screenplay. The story contains so much fantasy, I thought it might be very difficult to translate it sucessfully to the screen, but the results are superb. The scene in which Tita's sister is so aroused after eating Tita's Rose Petal soup that she literally burns down their outdoor shower from her body heat and then runs naked across the plain only to be scooped up and carried away on horseback by a bandit is one of the sexiest moments ever put on film. This movie is not for everyone, but if you enjoy erotic (but NOT pornographic) fantasy, try "Like Water for Chocolate"!