Hot Chocolate

Inevitably perhaps, most contemporary co-productions lack the distinctive flavor of one particular country of origin. When you view a film and start to wonder how much financing came from each nation involved, something's amiss. As a comedy, HOT CHOCOLATE is neither French champagne nor domestic beer, but somehow the cast enlivens the material often enough that the film doesn't seem like a joke made meaningless after having been retold by too many UN delegates.

Although his chocolate factory has been the family business for centuries, Hubert (Francois Marthouret) yearns for ready cash. Loyal chauffeur and business advisor Eric Ferrier (Robert Hays) begs him to r...