The Chocolate War

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The Chocolate War

R

Released Nov 18, 1988

1h 40m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Jerry (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), a new student at an elite Roman Catholic prep school, must face the freshman hazing practices handed down by the Vigils, a group of powerful students. When teacher Brother Leon (John Glover) pushes the students to sell chocolates for a fundraiser, the head of the Vigils, Archie (Wally Ward), gets Jerry to reject selling for 10 days. However, Jerry decides to keep up the refusal past the original time frame, which pits him against the Vigils and the school staff.

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Joel Siegel

Chicago Reader

The film is especially insightful about the way power structures–social, religious, political–reinforce one another, despite conflicting values and goals, to squelch individualism.

Rated: 3/4

May 11, 2022

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Fans of the book may enjoy this dark story.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 28, 2010

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Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

The Chocolate War is reminiscent of another kind of movie that one wishes could be jump-started again: Angry Young Man films.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 15, 2007

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Keith Gordon's direction is unhurried and understated, and the film is all the stronger because of it.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 1, 2022

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

The story is a classic about grace under pressure and resisting conformity, and it's a noble first effort from a director who has never sold out.

Rated: A-

Apr 21, 2007

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Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Oct 5, 2005

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Jay B

I can scarcely think of another film that so perfectly combines coming-of-age and social/global politics. This movie is an absolute gem. All of the actor's understood the assignment here, and John Glover's performance in particular is one of my all-time favorites. It's dramatic, it's funny, it's sad, it's relatable, and its subject matter is evergreen. The character development feels organic, as the actors seem to have all been living their lives characterized in the movie long before filming began. That is how wonderfully cast it is. The Chocolate War is the perfect movie for kids in their early teens, and adults will applaud the tone, story, and setting. A powerhouse of a film that should be required viewing in high school, in my opinion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/20/25

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Angel F

Great movie, great cast and great soundtrack

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/30/23

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s r

An oddity in teen movies that focused on private schools. This one had some interesting aspects, but it imploded as it tried to bite off too much. Saw it on TCM.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I've seen better acting on tiktok. The characters were accurate? It would be impossible to understand without knowing what happens in the book. Also Archies character is

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

Had a lot of potential to be good. I think Robert Cormier sucks. The only good parts are with the Vigils and Brother Leon. Nobody really cares about Renault.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Audience Member

The story is a classic about grace under pressure and resisting conformity, and it's a noble first effort from a director who has never sold out.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

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Keith Gordon

Director

John Glover

Brother Leon

Ilan Mitchell-Smith

Jerry Renault

Wallace Langham

Archie

Doug Hutchinson

Obie

Corey Gunnestad

Goober

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Synopsis

Jerry (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), a new student at an elite Roman Catholic prep school, must face the freshman hazing practices handed down by the Vigils, a group of powerful students. When teacher Brother Leon (John Glover) pushes the students to sell chocolates for a fundraiser, the head of the Vigils, Archie (Wally Ward), gets Jerry to reject selling for 10 days. However, Jerry decides to keep up the refusal past the original time frame, which pits him against the Vigils and the school staff.

Director: Keith Gordon
Producer: Jonathan D. Krane
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Management Company Entertainment Group
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 1988, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2018
Runtime: 1h 40m

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