Like Water for Chocolate (1993)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

When I read the book I was mesmerized by the beautiful imagery, the combination of magic realism, love, sex and food; and I didn't expect much from this movies, but what I just saw was horrible beyond imagination.With all those materials given in the book the cinematography could've been amazing instead we're forced to watch some amateurish uninteresting pointless shots of everything. Half of the very important parts of the book was omitted, and I don't even wanna bother with the acting! That doctor was supposed to look kind, but with all that unnecessary smiles he looked like a pervert who tries to smile his way out of looking like one.You can read the book and have a blast instead of having a headache by watching this.

This 1992 Mexican film is full of both symbolism and cultural significance, and it helped me to appreciate the fantasy and mysticism reflected within the narrative. Tita is the youngest of three daughters, held captive by the traditions of her tenacious mother, which dictate that she is not allowed to marry, as she must care for her mother until her death. Yet, Pedro has already announced his passionate love for Tita, and in hopes of being near her, marries her older sister. Tita soon discovers she is able to communicate and share her emotions through her cooking, which she makes for Pedro to demonstrate her love for him. I found the film to be very intriguing in a symbolic sense, and would be interested to read the original book. I enjoyed viewing the early twentieth century culture richly interwoven into the storyline, and the eroticism was very prevalent, but portrayed in an artistic and reflective manner; however, it's not a film I would choose to watch again.

While the movie was not a complete let down, it was also not quite as satisfying as the book. The book had so much more emotion to it that the movie had trouble capturing. I found that in the movie, the magical realism was a bit too much. Magical realism works really well in one's mine but is much harder to put on screen. I also felt that the magical realism in the film took away from the importance of the food. While the food played such a vital role in the book, it took more of a backseat role in the film. I also think that the movie was not what I was hoping for because of the way I originally pictured the characters as I read the book. The book had such great imagery that I was able to create a sort of movie in my mind; when the film did not match the one I had imagined, I was left with a sort of disappointment. It may be one of those films that is much more wonderful if the viewer has not previously read the book. While the film was not as good as the book, I do still think the film did a good job of highlighting the key points of the book. For example, the rocky relationship between Mama Elena and Tita was portrayed very well. Overall it was not a terrible movie and it was a fresh new way to look at the events of the book the way someone else pictured them.

In my opinion, this movie was rather mediocre. It just seemed to be a soap opera with magical realism thrown in as an added bonus. Although the book is well written, the movie doesn't do it justice, just like most other movies made from books. Though there was an attempt to convey the perfection of the meals prepared by Tita, it really didn't work at all. Such things can't be described through pictures. Also the effect of Titas cooking on the rest of the family lost its romance and ended up just looking comical in the film. About 30 minutes into the film I was already bored. What bored me was not so much the story, but the way it was executed and played out. Also, if I had not read the book before seeing the movie, I would have been very confused. They throw too many unexplained things into the movie, that also occur in the book, but they work in the book because the book gives you context. All in all, I would say read the book (which is quite good) and skip the movie.