Title: Better than Chocolate (1999)
Director: Anne Wheeler
Actors: Christina Cox, Peter Outerbridge, Karyn Dwyer, Wendy Crewson a.o.
Runtime: 102 Min.


What sweet, lovely little (Canadian) movie this is! That was the first thought that came into my head when I watched it. Of course, it deals with more serious issues as well, like being transsexual or getting discriminated against because you do not fit the 'norm'.

Maggie is a girl who dropped out of Law School (which I can totally understand) and works & lives in a book store. When her mom decides to come visit her she has a crisis. Her boss kicks her out of the backroom of the store, because she does not want to deal with the trouble he visit might bring: Maggie has not told her mom she is gay...

In the meantime Maggie meets the gorgeous artist, Kim, whom she falls in love with. Maggie, then, finds a place to stay. A woman, who teaches Sex Ed, is subletting her flat and just as Kim and her are taking a shower together her mom shows up with her brother. And things go on from there...

Christina Cox, who plays Kim is brilliant and very cute! For some reason, she reminds me of my high school friend H. The facial expressions and certain mannerisms. I could not help but see H in her every time, though I doubt H is gay.

The absolute star of the movie, however, is Peter Outerbridge as Judy. He portrays her in such a delightful way. You really feel for her as she is struggling to cope with the fact that people do not understand transgenderism and some will keep calling her sir. The song he sings, called I'm not a Fucking Drag Queen is hilarious with a serious bite to it.

It is a nice change from all the depressing Gay & Lesbian movies out there. Most are very dark and almost always someone ends up dead, not in this one though. It is a very light-hearted comedy that tackles serious issues in a funny way. I'm not always fan of romantic comedies, but for this one I made an exception. I give it a 8.3/10