Like Water for Chocolate

Released Feb 27, 1992

2h 24m

Romance

List

88%

48 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The youngest daughter in her family, the beautiful Tita (Lumi Cavazos) is forbidden to marry her true love, Pedro (Marco Leonardi). Since tradition dictates that Tita must care for her mother, Pedro weds her older sister, Rosaura (Yareli Arizmendi), 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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Juan Sebastian Q

i don't understand why mama elena don't whan tita to get merry until she dies and while she dead why elena still does not let tita to get merry? this story makes no sense

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/21/24

Full Review

Armando G

A romantic tragedy worth watching. There are moments where you need to figure out why things happen for a reason.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Enrique M

Buena adaptación del libro de Laura Esquivel. Muy bien plasmada, tanto el amor, como las prohibiciones y normas de la familia, de una época muy conservadora, todo esto girando entorno al gastronomía.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/23

Full Review

Leaburn O

I'm not sure it's all that entertaining. Lots of romantic drama and not sense going on but it is beautifully shot, with lots of food that teases your appetite. Bought on DVD some time ago and got round to watching after being recommended as one of two essential Mexican films to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/19/23

Full Review

maddie s

‘Like Water for Chocolate' is about a girl named Tita who is the youngest of 3 daughters. Her family has a tradition that the youngest daughter will take care of the mother until the mother dies, and not marry. The boy that is Titas true love, Pedro, cannot marry Tita. Instead, he marries Titas oldest sister Rosaura even though he loves Tita. This creates tension throughout the family. Titas Mother Elena suspects that Tita and Pedro still love each other, and makes Pedro and Rosaura move away with their newborn baby. Tita later gets upset with her mother and leaves the ranch to go live with Doctor Brown and his young son. Doctor Brown later asks Tita to marry him, and she says yes. Back at the ranch, something horrible happens and Titas mother Elena dies. Rosaura later has a baby girl named Esperanza and wants to continue the family tradition with Esperanza. Tita does not like this. Tita realizes that she still loves Pedro and tells Doctor Brown that she cannot marry him. As years go by, Rosaura dies from an unknown gastrointestinal illness, releasing Esperanza from the family tradition. Many years later Esperanza goes on to marry Doctor Browns son. Pedro and Tita know that they can now rekindle their romance. Later that night after everyone leaves, Pedro dies from a heart attack. Tita is very sad and commits suicide by swallowing matches, causing her body to spontaneously combust and catch the room on fire. The fire spreads throughout the ranch burning down everything, and Esperanza and her husband come back to the ranch burnt down. ‘Like Water for Chocolate' was filmed in Mexico and Texas. In Mexico, they filmed in the Mesa Del Norte region, also called Northern Plateau. Much of the land in the Mesa Del Norte is somewhat flat, with mountains and salt encrusted flats throughout the region. The movie takes place in an arid desert with some vegetation. The ranch is in a hilly area with a river that runs nearby, and the weather conditions for this area are dry and hot. This movie affected me in several ways. It showed me that it is important to be responsible. Not only for one's own actions, but family traditions. It also shows that being patient is important and that love will happen when it happens. It could take months or years for love to happen. It also showed that it's important to fight for your own independence and that self-expression is important. This movie shows that some things just take time, and that hardship doesn't last forever. I think that this is an inspiring movie in certain ways and is a good reminder that being responsible and in charge of your own life is important.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

david l

Like Water for Chocolate is this very soapy and silly Mexican romance that is difficult to believe in most of its plot points. While the technical aspects are stellar and the female characters are quite complex, the movie's symbolism lacked subtlety and the magical realist sequences were more ridiculous than intriguing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Alfonso Arau

Director

Lumi Cavazos

Tita

Marco Leonardi

Pedro

Regina Torné

Mamá Elena

Mario Iván Martínez

Doctor John Brown

Ada Carrasco

Nacha

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Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

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.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 11, 2023

Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

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.

Jun 11, 2020

Full Review

Angie Errigo

Empire Magazine

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

Rated: 4/5

Jun 11, 2020

Full Review

Eleanor Ringel Cater

Saporta Report (Atlanta)

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

Oct 9, 2023

Full Review

Augusto Martínez Torres

El Pais (Spain)

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

Jun 11, 2020

Full Review

Fotogramas Staff

Fotogramas

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

Rated: 4/5

Jun 11, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

The youngest daughter in her family, the beautiful Tita (Lumi Cavazos) is forbidden to marry her true love, Pedro (Marco Leonardi). Since tradition dictates that Tita must care for her mother, Pedro weds her older sister, Rosaura (Yareli Arizmendi), 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: Óscar Castillo
Screenwriter: Laura Esquivel
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Arau Films Internacional
Genre: Romance
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: Surround, Stereo

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