Customer Reviews

Merci Pour le Chocolat

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So far, I've seen maybe 7 Chabrol films (older and recent ones) and this is easily the most enjoyable one yet. Actually, I wasn't expecting much, after some mixed reviews here, but found the DVD for a decent price used at a local store, and gave it a shot. While I think Chabrol films are all well above average, and in terms of Amazon ratings, you can always bank on a 4 star rating, but this one had a little more. I really enjoyed watching these characters, and this little plot they've become nestled into is very intriguing. I think it helps that all the actors, especially Huppert, play their parts to a tee.

Stunningly beautiful, but unknown to the US actress, Anna Mouglalis, serves as the centerpiece of the film, which revolves around the question of whether or not she was switched at birth with the Polonski's baby boy, who was born on the same day. Pianist Andre Polonski is initially told by nurses that he has a girl, only to find out they made a mistake and he has a son. Mouglalis's character, Jeanne, who also becomes a pianist, goes to meet the father that may have been hers, and sets off a jealousy issue with Andre's new wife, Mika, played by Huppert. This triggers emotions from the past, and poses a question about the death of Andre's first wife. It also sets up one of the best scenes in the film: a moving recollection by Andre's son, Guillame, about the night his mother died.

Upon Jeanne's first encounter with Mika, some suspense immediately builds, in a very stylish scene where Jeanne is looking at a picture of Andre's first wife, a near reflection of herself as she resembles her, and sees Mika purposely spill a thermos of chocolate on the floor. This gets Jeanne to purposely dip her sleeve into it and later have her forensic lab boyfriend analyze it and find that it contains a tranquilizer.

The direction of the film, building suspense, dry wit, and superb acting performances, all make for an extremely satisfying French film. It is much more lighter than other Chabrol films, and more dialogue driven, without much culmination in the suspense. The violence found in his other films is nowhere to be found. It's more on the black comedy side, then a true suspense thriller, and nothing points to this more than the subtle humor found in the ending. From the low key remarks by Andre (remember that he's just had some sleeping medicine as well), to what happens to Jeanne and Andre's son, to the revealing scene where Huppert gets up from the couch, only to find she was just resting her head in the center of a black afghan, knitted in the form of spider web.

I don't think the film is to be taken as seriously as other Chabrol thrillers, and thus, the somewhat abrupt ending shouldn't be frowned upon for coming up short. I thought it was satisfying enough, and ends the film quite nicely. Let's face it, French films don't EVER end like Amercian films do. I think it's a unique and tidy end to one delicious film! My only gripe was not how it ended, rather when it ended. I would have loved to see more interaction between the characters before it reached it's conclusion. I'll just have to watch it again!

This French psychological thriller by former new-wave auteur, Claude Chabrol follows a famous pianist Andre Polonksi, his wife Mika (Isabelle Huppert) a chocolate heiress whose never without a menacing cup of hot chocolate, and a radiant young pianist who believes herself to be Polonski's long lost daughter. Huppert's Mika makes for a fierce portrayal of perverse matriarchy and like her emotionally scarred woman in the Piano Teacher, she is melancholically aware enough of her perversity to jolt the audience with a twinge of sympathy. The movie's biggest asset, however, may be that Chabrol skillfully lets you in on its secret immediately. From the beginning, there is no doubt that Mika poisons people with hot chocolate, and by revealing such, I'm not taking anything away from the enjoyment of the film. Its pleasures arrive via the compelling characters, taut dialogue, beautiful upper-class French locales, and sleekly edited progression of events, giving the movie considerable repeat value. Hence why the final denouement is not (and should not be) as fun as simply watching these characters seek, calculate, and kill.

Mysteries/Thrillers/Who done-its are by their very nature complex things and it takes a master technician to pull one off successfully. Hitchcock had it,Christopher Nolan ("Momento") has it as does Claude Chabrol, the director of "Merci Pour Le Chocolat."
The characters in "MPLC" are complicated., ambivalent and enigmatic which gives the film it's tone of deep foreboding and a lingering sense that things are not what they seem and that the characters are not what they seem to be.
The premise is pretty simple: a young woman, Jeanne (Anna Mouglalis) accidentally discovers that she may or may not be the child of the person she has known as her father. It seems that she may or may not have been mistakenly switched at birth and her father may be the famous pianist Andre Polonski (Jacques Dutronc).
Her mother (Brigitte Catillon) attempts to explain it away but Jeanne isn't buying it and sets off to find Polonski; thus setting the plot of the film in motion. We are then introduced to Polonski and his wife, Mika (Isabelle Huppert) and his maybe yes/maybe no son Guillaume.
There is no doubt that at this point in the film we are definitely intrigued: the performances are first rate (especially Isabelle Huppert's twitchy, nervous, up to no good, Mika), the mise en scene is flawless, the script is intelligent. Then...BOOM, the whole thing falls apart in the third act. And in a film of this genre, if you don't have a third act you don't have a film. What happened? Who can say for sure but the denouement is flat, trite and obvious...everything that the beginning and middle of the film is not.
But 2/3 of a great Chabrol film is better than most of the stuff to which we are subjected on the screen these days. So for this we should be happy...but are we really?

The film isn't meant to be typically suspenseful. Isabelle Huppert plays the wife of a well known pianist whom she's known for years. A young woman from his past comes into his life and he becomes attached to her as a father-like figure. Without giving much away, Huppert gives the performance of a lifetime. Her latest films, including this one, have showed off her unbelievable and unique skill at playing strong yet not-quite-right heroines. In this film, her mastery of subtle perversion has the viewer squirming from something in the character they can't quite pinpoint.

Ever meet someone who appears normal but gives you a very strange vibe? Huppert has figured out how to duplicate that person on screen and you'll finish the movie impressed by her as well as the pure and crisp art direction.

I have found lately I have been interested in the films of Claude Chabrol. I guess one could call him the French version of Hitchcock. I admit he seems to be a better follow-up to Hitchcock's work then say another great French filmmkaer Francois Truffaut.

Many people have been rather harsh on this film, but, I found that I enjoyed it, and perhaps not for the same reasons other have. It's with this film the viewer is not only able to see how talented Chabrol is, but, also, we are able to see the way a movie should be constructed. The story-line may be difficult for some to follow but watch the execution in the delivery of suspense. The set-up is wonderful. The way Chabrol is creating more and more tension with each scene as it builds up for the climax is something all young filmmakers should see. And the choice of music play a major role as well.

I wanted to see this film when first released, but, never got around to it. One day I happened to stumble upon it on tv. It was the showtime woman's channel. I missed the very beginning of the movie but, as I say what caught my eye was the way Chabrol told the story, not necessarily what the story was about but the way things unfolded. I then was lucky enough to catch the film again, and this time watch it from the beginning.

Now, in it's opening moments I think many will get confused. The story is far fetched and that might turn off some viewers. I personally didn't like the way the situation was handled. Others may see it differently. But, once the story settles and we watch more and more of the film and sort of get a "hold" of what's going on I think many will enjoy the film greatly.

There are a few things going on in this movie so it's hard to explain the movie without spoiling it for everyone. I will try though. Isabelle Huppert plays Marie-Claire aka "Mika" Muller who has just married Andre Polonski (Jacques Dutronc). Polonski was married before and lost his wife in a suspicious car accident. His former wife also happened to be the best friend of his new wife. Now, in the first marriage Polonski had a child, Guillaume (Rodolphe Pauly). Many years later it is brought to our attention that perhaps there was a switch at the hospital. And Guillaume is not really his son but, he had a daughter, Jeanne Pollet (Anna Mouglalis)! Due to a switch at the hospital. And when Jeanne hears about this naturally she wants to meet Andre and find out what he thinks. Of course many of you are saying this all sounds too werid. But, give the film a chance to tell it's story.

"Merci pour le chocolat" is based on the novel "The Chocolate Cobweb" by Charlotte Armstrong, and was written by Caroline Eliacheff and Chabrol himself. For those who aren't familiar with Chabrol's films, fans feel his went into a slump in the late 70's and through the 80's. It wasn't until the 90's that Chabrol seemed to come back on track with films like "La Ceremonie", "The Swindle", and "L'Enfer". For those that are familiar with Chabrol's films I think that this is one of his best films. I feel no one will say this is better than "Le Boucher" or "Les Biches" but, if you enjoyed the suspense those films created than "Merci pour le Chocolat" is for you.

Bottom-line: One of Chabrol's best of recent years. A throwback to his earlier films. A wonderful example of how to build up suspense and capture an audience's interest. Young filmmakers need to watch this movie.

**Be forewarned that this review is in part an analysis of the movie "Merci pour le chocolat" and therefore contains several spoilers. So if you haven't seen the film and don't want to know anything about the plot development, please don't read this review.**

Part of the problem with this very interesting movie is carelessness or deliberate ambiguity on the part of director Claude Chabrol. The celebrated French master of cinema really is a bit like Alfred Hitchcock in the way he put this film together. He doesn't care so much about the consistency of detail or logic, instead what he strives for, as did Hitchcock, is effect. Begin with a tantalizing premise, build tension, and then come up with a striking ending.

The premise, that of a psychologically disturbed woman of high social and economic status (Mika Muller, played with her usual haunting skill by Isabelle Huppert), whose bizarre nature forces her to poison those around her, satisfies the formula nicely. The tension is maintained by our need to find out exactly what she is doing and why and how it will affect the husband André (Jacques Dutronc), the son Guillaume (Rodolphe Pauly), and the young pianist, Jeanne Pollet (Anna Mouglalis). The ending which is heavily symbolic and deeply psychological however may disappoint some viewers. Note that as the closing credits run down the screen, Mika cries and then curls up catatonically on the couch next to a black Afghan in the shape of a spider web. She is the spider at the side of the web waiting for something to fall into it. She can't help herself. That is her nature. And that is why she cries for herself. And notice that her husband does not hate her or rage against her. Instead he seems to have pity upon her as he plays a funereal piece on the piano.

Personally what disappointed me--although I still think this is an excellent film--is the way the ambiguity about Jeanne's paternity is handled. Obviously we can tell by the photos on the wall of the tragically deceased Lisbeth that Jeanne is indeed her daughter since she looks exactly like her. In fact in the next scene Jeanne unconsciously apes the pose in the photo by putting the palms of her hands to either side of her face as André watches. Another problem with the film is that nobody except the audience seems struck by the exact similarity.

Additionally, the truth of her paternity is obscured by Jeanne's mother saying that the mixup at the maternity ward was straightened out to everyone's satisfaction, and besides (almost as an afterthought) she reveals that her husband was not the father, that instead she was inseminated by an unknown donor. This silliness could easily be resolved by DNA testing since the movie, which was released in 2000, is set in contemporary France. Chabrol uses a lab to establish what drug Mika is putting in the chocolate. Why not use a lab to establish paternity? Part of the reason may simply be that the novel upon which the movie is based "The Chocolate Cobweb" was written by the American mystery writer Charlotte Armstrong in the 1950's, before the age of DNA testing.

The real answer however is that Chabrol didn't bother, just as he didn't bother cleaning up some other ambiguities, like why the son does not confront Mika after he is told by Jeanne that Mika is drugging him. Or why Mika deliberately spills the drugged chocolate intended for Guillaume onto the floor, allowing her to be surreptitiously observed by Jeanne through a reflection in the glass of one of the photos. The spilling seems purely a plot device to allow Jeanne a reason to get the chocolat analyzed. Furthermore, we presume that Mika, who is very rich, remarries André because she loves him or admires him or wants to be with him. And it can be seen that he would want to remarry her because of her wealth, her beauty, her elegance, etc. However, it is revealed near the end of the film that he had all along suspected her of causing Lisbeth's death since he says something like "You also washed the glasses the night Lisbeth died." He knew.

One can even go to the extent of analyzing this by saying that Mika is the black widow and André finds her irresistible. Note the scene in which he suggests they make love to have a daughter and she puts him off by saying that he would be ineffective since he has already taken his Rohypnol. She says, next time before he takes his sleep potion they will do it. Furthermore notice that EVERY night he falls into a drugged sleep since he is addicted to Rohypnol. Perhaps this nightly occurrence is pleasant to Mika, in a sense an acting out of the black widow's mating ritual again and again.

Nonetheless, this idea of a woman helpless against her own nature seems a bit unsatisfying. We want something more. And what she does to satisfy her urges leaves us a bit mystified. It seems hardly enough. She drugs the chocolate that she lovingly makes for Guillaume and Jeanne. Why only this? Why this at all? The logic is that she needs to excrete her poison, like a spider. The very act of doing it is what satisfies her need. The fact that somebody could take the drug and then fall asleep at the wheel of a car really is beside the point.

This tale of the dark psychology within the human soul is the sort of thing that attracts Isabelle Huppert as an actress. She has played in her distinguished career a number of roles that require evil in the human soul. This is one of the more subtle ones. For one of the more striking, see her in The Piano Teacher (2001).

Mika Muller, wealthy owner of a Swiss chocolate company (and played by Isabelle Huppert) has just married Andre Polonski (Jacques Dutronc). They were married briefly years before, but divorced and Polonsky married a woman he deeply loved and by whom he has a teen-age son. His second wife died in a car crash after enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with her husband and son at Mika's house. The movie proceeds with tensions, family complications and death -- with Mika calmly continuing the tradition each evening of making and serving her delicious cups of chocolate.

There's little mystery about what's going on, but the story drives with the question, "Why?" Why does Mika do what she does...and just what are all the things she's done? There's tension as it becomes clearer who should really be cautious about accepting Mika's hospitality. The pay-off is low key and, for me, just a little unsatisfying. It's still a movie I enjoy a lot.

The movie works because of Huppert's ability to seem imperturbable while you know deep and probably unpleasant things are bubbling away below the surface. Let me tell you...for those fans of Lindsay and Brittany and Angelina, Isabelle Huppert now 51 could chew you up and spit you out before you knew what was happpening. She's a first-rate actress and a great screen presence.

I first encountered Isabelle Huppert in LE PIANISTE, and was excitedly anticipating this film. Her ability to communicate repressed rage and a rigid adherence to social convention is awe-inspiring. She never turns the facade into a cliche, even in this unsympathetic role. She is just as wonderful in this film as in THE PIANO TEACHER, although her characters are quite different.

This one, Mika, is not as fully developed and explored. Director Charbol merely gives you a taste of the morbid, paranoid, obsessive and ultimately violent character. Huppert delicately conceals the true Mika behind the practiced visage of the wealthy and socially-connected corporate executive. No overt smugness or irony reveals to you the true depth of her anti-social sentiment, self-loathing, and hatred.

The film notes only glibly discusses the character (as aflicted by "perversion"), and I think the film itself only approaches her, never exploring or embracing her. There is something more complex at work than the corruption or debasement perversion implies. The full-blown personality disorder on display gives us a glimpse of the "non-persons" lacking the ego, or sense of personhood, that makes their 'normal' (often perfectionist) behavior calculated mimicry. We catch only a glimpse of that her, I believe.

Although I'm only giving it three stars, I still think this is a fascinating movie well worth seeing (I won't belabor the "Hitchcockian Tradition" rhetoric). Isabelle Huppert is brilliant, and this performance should be savored. However, its pretentiously abrupt ending, as well as its inability to successfully incorporate the piano element (the portentous use of Liszt's "Funérailles" seemed ineffective to me) detracted from the overall impact.

Simply put, a cold case is an old case where evidence and suspicions have dried up, and is virtually impossible to solve unless there are new developments.

And a clever cold case lies at the heart of Claude Chabrol's "Merci Pour Le Chocolat," a quietly intense little movie that allows nothing but the actors to carry the plot forward, and maintain suspense. No overwrought soundtracks or theatrics here -- it's a very slow, subtle build of tension and suspicion, with the brilliant Huppert gracefully carrying it along.

As the film opens, legendary pianist André Polonski (Jacques Dutronc) is remarrying his first wife, Marie-Claire "Mika" Muller (Isabelle Huppert), a chocolate magnate.

Elsewhere, a budding pianist named Jeanne (Anna Mouglalis) is a wee bit thrilled to find that she may have been switched at birth with Polonski's son. She goes to see him, and is warmly welcomed -- but her suspicions are oddly stoked a she sees Mika deliberately spilling the hot chocolate. Tests reveal that (drumroll please) there was a sleeping drug in it. So why's Mika doing this?

As Jeanne is taught by Andre at his home, Mika continues to hang around acting weird. The young woman becomes more and more suspicious of Mika's past behavior, especially when Andre's son Guillaume (Rodolphe Pauly) tells her how his mother died. But Jeanne's suspicions may be putting herself -- and others -- in danger...

Often suspense movies are turned into thrillers, and the bad guy always acts sinister and practically has "Evil" stamped over his face. Fortunately Chabrol doesn't resort to cliches or shortcuts -- there's not a single dramatic crescendo, crazy camera angle or brandished knife in the entire movie. The characters don't even raise their voices.

Instead, Chabrol films the entire movie in a very understated way -- it's almost like watching a long home video. Lots of quiet, realistic scenes of understated conversation and unembellished camerawork, and rarely even a soundtrack except for the exquisitely-played "Funérailles." Even the setting -- amongst the refined moneyed in a large country house -- is kept unembellished. It feels like looking into another person's life.

But he's still able to build quiet, subtle tension that shows in a hundred tiny ways, and the inevitable climax -- while wonderfully suspenseful -- is no less quiet. And Chabrol also drops plenty of little unanswered mysteries along the way -- such as Jeanne's parentage, Mika's motives, and so on. Those with short attention spans will be quickly bored, but it's fascinating to see how realistic he made this.

Isabelle Huppert is undeniably the queen of this movie -- she's quiet, friendly and inscrutable, with a faint undercurrent of jealousy whenever Jeanne is around. Dutronc is almost as good as the friendly, world-famous pianiste who starts seeing cracks in his seemingly perfect life, while Pauly and Mouglalis both do solid jobs as the dissatisfied son and the bright young musician.

"Merci Pour Le Chocolat" is a refined, old-fashioned suspense movie that relies on the actors rather than Hollywoodized gimmicks. A small treasure, though not for those who need thrills and spills.

Pretty good slow paced thriller. Probably wont stick with you long after its over but good enough while it lasts.