The Chocolate War (1988)
- General info
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- Synopsis:
- Adapted from Robert Cormier's controversial novel - the most widely banned book in America - this "sardonic comedy-drama" explores the cruelty and betrayal of adolescence. 'The Chocolate War' is set in a Catholic boys' school where Jerry (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), a new student and rebellious loner, finds himself at odds with the school's hierarchy. Then Jerry refuses to be bullied into selling chocolates at the school's annual fundraiser, the surly school administrator, Brother Leon (John Glover) teams up with Archie (Wallace Langham), the leader of Trinity prep school's secret society, the Vigils, to make Jerry's life a living hell. But an uncompromising Jerry refuses to back down
- Actors:
- John Glover, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Wallace Langham, Doug Hutchison, Corey Gunnestad, Brent David Fraser, Robert Davenport, Jenny Wright, Bud Cort, Adam Baldwin, Ethan Sandler, Wayne Young, Kurt Bloom, Wyeth Orestes Johnston, Landon Wine, Matthew Burke, Douglas A. Forsyth, Peter Boyack, Sean Hagerty, Colin Mitchell
- Directors:
- Keith Gordon
- Producers:
- Jonathan D. Krane
- Writers:
- Robert Cormier, Keith Gordon
- Genres:
- Comedy, Drama
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Reviews (1) of The Chocolate War
Freedom, Fear, and a Box of Chocolates - The Chocolate War review by griggs
It begins with a premise that should be compelling: a freshman at a Catholic boys’ school stands up to authority, peer pressure, and a cult-like secret society by refusing to play along. That small act of defiance sets off a chain reaction, turning a simple fundraiser into a dark cautionary tale about freedom—and the cost of holding your ground.
The film nails the mood. The school feels airless and severe, and the secret society running things is a sharp portrait of how intimidation can rule more effectively than rules. Subtle it isn’t, but then neither is the cruelty of teenage power games.
Where The Chocolate War falters is in delivery. The story meanders, the tempo drags, and the characters often feel like outlines more than people. It wants to be Lord of the Flies in blazers, but ends up closer to a dour after-school special. Still, its bleak honesty lingers, even if the film itself never fully convinces.