Meanwhile, transgendered lesbian Judy tries to re-establish contact with her estranged parents, while wooing the repressed owner of Ten Percent, Frances, played by actress/writer Ann-Marie MacDonald. (Some viewers may remember MacDonald as the gorgeous lesbian artist, Mary, in the eighties film I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing). With the “omnisexual” Carla pursuing Maggie’s younger brother with the aid of a butt plug, and Maggie’s chocolate-guzzling mother discovering the joys of lesbian sex toys after she finds a box stashed away in her daughter’s flat, Anne Wheeler’s film is a well-meaning and mostly successful attempt to chronicle a wider group of characters than the average lesbian romance.

Though ultimately an upbeat film, serious issues do appear. Judy is beaten up by an enraged lesbian who refuses to accept she is a woman, demanding that she leave the women’s toilets, or else. And Frances is faced with Canadian customs seizing her imported sex books at the border, with Little Red Riding Hood appearing on the faxed customs list. “I thought it was something else,” the Customs official sheepishly tells an enraged Frances when she goes to confront them about it. This censorship leads to a demonstration by Maggie, who stands naked in the bookshop window, wearing only a couple of small protest boards, an act that incites the local homophobic thugs and leads to the film’s denouement.

The characters in Better Than Chocolate are likeable and sympathetic, especially transgendered Judy, who strikes up a friendship with Maggie’s mother. However there is an element of stereotyping going on. Kim is the self-possessed slightly butcher lesbian, more experienced and out, while Carla is a nymphomaniac bisexual, which is put down to her being omnisexual rather than bisexual, but this doesn’t fully excuse her character’s stereotyping. In that respect, transgendered Judy may be a less threatening character to lesbians since she is exclusively interested in women, but even then she is subjected to lesbian bigotry. While the stereotyping issue may be a minor niggle since Carla is an amusing character, there is still some way to go in the depiction of bisexual women in lesbian cinema, though fellow Canadian film maker Patricia Rozema has offered less sexually defined characters in her beautiful and erotic film, When Night Is Falling and previous outing, I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing.

Better Than Chocolate features mind-boggling sex toys on display around Maggie’s flat (viewers will have to make up their own minds what they’re used for). The film’s various musical numbers, performed by the main characters at the local lesbian night spot, including a song dedicated to actress Julie Christie, add a bit of glamour. The sex scenes, meanwhile are sensual, especially the scene where Maggie and Kim create art by painting each other’s naked bodies before rolling themselves over large sheets.

Gay films rarely have Hollywood production values, and often rely on unknown casts. Better Than Chocolate in this respect is glossy and well put together. Colourful, funny, and mostly light-hearted, this is a very accessible lesbian romantic comedy.

Rating: 7/10

Kara Kellar Bell's review of 'The Terrorist' - here

Kara Kellar Bell's review of 'Before Night Falls' - here

Kara Kellar Bell's review of 'The Devil's Backbone' - here

Daniel Pearson’s review of ‘Whale Rider’ - here

Daniel Pearson’s review of ‘Monster’ - here

Daniel Pearson’s review of ‘Throne of Blood’ - here

A selection of film reviews written by Laura Hird - here