Like Water for Chocolate

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Like Water for Chocolate

1992

2h 24m

Romance

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

The youngest daughter in her family, the beautiful Tita is forbidden to marry her true love, Pedro. Since tradition dictates that Tita must care for her mother, Pedro weds her older sister, Rosaura, though he still loves Tita. The situation creates much tension in the family, and Tita's powerful emotions begin to surface in fantastical ways through her cooking. As the years pass, unusual circumstances test the enduring love of Pedro and Tita.

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Critics Consensus

Like Water for Chocolate plays to the senses with a richly rewarding romance that indulges in magical realism to intoxicating effect.

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Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

Jan 11, 2023

4/4

Laura Esquivel's wonderful novel about the powers of passion has been adapted for the screen by her husband, director Alfonso Arau. The result is as rich and savory as Mexican hot chocolate.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

Jun 11, 2020

It tells a dark, sad, horrific but heartening story in sweet, gleaming images that tickle ribs, quicken senses and awaken hungers. There's just one word for it: Scrumptious.

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Angie Errigo

Empire Magazine

Jun 11, 2020

4/5

Deliciously offbeat and bittersweet, it is, entirely appropriately, a treat.

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Saporta Report (Atlanta)

Oct 9, 2023

The result is a movie as magical as it is mouth-watering.

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Augusto Martínez Torres

El Pais (Spain)

Jun 11, 2020

The film's biggest setback is its script in which the density is felt next to its runtime. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Fotogramas Staff

Fotogramas

Jun 11, 2020

4/5

An imaginative reconstruction of the traditional Mexican melodrama that is one of the year's best surprises. [Full Review in Spanish]

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SIMAS C

@simas_eros Nov 4, 2026

Based on the novel by Laura Esquivel, the film begins by drawing an erotic analogy between food and emotions, but soon devolves into a predictable, soap-opera-style romance. While well-directed, it suffers from weak performances and falls far short of the book—especially in terms of its sensory lyricism.

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Kalissa H

@kali_416 Sep 14, 2026

It does the book justice. The acting is great and the overall look of the movie is nice.

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Alec B

@AlecMichaelB Feb 13, 2026

Seductive and quietly subversive, Like Water for Chocolate remains as lush and transporting today as it was more than three decades ago. Infused with sensual imagery, longing, and a delicate thread of magical realism, the film captures the emotional intensity of Laura Esquivel’s novel while bringing its kitchen-centered mysticism vividly to life on screen. Food becomes both language and rebellion, each dish carrying desire, grief, or defiance in ways that feel intimate rather than theatrical. At once quirky and deeply romantic, the adaptation honors the spirit of Esquivel’s story: its feminism, folklore, and simmering passion, making it a faithful and enduring companion to the iconic book.

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Joy B.

@9mr_0 Jan 15, 2026

فلم جميل جدا. القصة رائعه و تحولاتها جميلة جدا. المخرج سرد القصة بشكل رائع و هادىء مع شاعرية جميلة . اداء الممثلين اكثر من رائع مع حظور قوي جدا من بطلة العمل و اداء متمكن . التصوير رائع ومتزن جمع بين الهدوء و جمال الصورة و يتصاعد مع الاحداث. موسيقى رائعة و مناسبه للمشاهد . الفلم رحلة للنضال بوجهه العادات و التقاليد .

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 3, 2025

Copyright 1992-2025 by Miramax Films!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All ages admitted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Christine B

@RT69982753 Sep 27, 2025

This movie has been one of my favorites for the past 25 years, at least. Beautifully acted and just a creative storyline. It's worth watching a movie with subtitles when it's this good.

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Alfonso Arau

Director

Lumi Cavazos

Tita

Marco Leonardi

Pedro

Regina Torné

Mamá Elena

Mario Iván Martínez

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Synopsis

The youngest daughter in her family, the beautiful Tita is forbidden to marry her true love, Pedro. Since tradition dictates that Tita must care for her mother, Pedro weds her older sister, Rosaura, though he still loves Tita. The situation creates much tension in the family, and Tita's powerful emotions begin to surface in fantastical ways through her cooking. As the years pass, unusual circumstances test the enduring love of Pedro and Tita.

Director: Alfonso Arau
Producer: Alfonso Arau
Screenwriter: Laura Esquivel
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Arau Films Internacional
Genre: Romance, Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 27, 1992, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 17, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.0M
Runtime: 2h 24m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

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