Angelique (Isabella Carre) suffers from what appears to be social anxiety. She joins a support group where others like her can relate to each other and tell their stories. That is when she starts telling her story. Angelique is a chocolate maker. She goes to a run down chocolate factory that is about to go out of business. But she didn't look over the add well enough to see they were hiring sales reps. She ends up getting the job and it terrifies her, but she needs the money so she sticks with it singing "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music whenever she starts to feel overwhelm. Her boss, Jean-Rene (Benoit Poelvoorde) also suffers from some sort of social anxiety. He goes to a therapist to help him deal with his fears and his therapist usually gives him some sort of exercise to try and help him manage it. Is first exercise is to ask someone out to dinner. It doesn't matter who it is, just as long as he asks. As luck would have it, he asks Angelique. They go out to dinner and between random awkward small talk and constant trips to the bathroom to change shirts, they seem to have a disastrous date. Jean-Rene is so afraid by the whole situation he ends up sneaking out of the bathroom window. The next day he assumes that Angelique would never want to see him again. So while he is telling the staff that she has resigned she bursts through the door and is ready to work. The next exercise Jean-Rene has to touch someone (don't get all perved out, a handshake will do). He awkwardly goes around the factory, standing way too close to his employees as he works up the courage to pat them on the back. That is until he sees Angelique leaving to do sales. He chases after her and after apologizing he grabs her hand. But how does he get out of holding her hand? His quick thinking tells him if he tries to kiss her, she will be offended and let go. But that plan backfires and they kiss. Now he has to try and figure out a way to end the kiss (he enjoys it, he is just terrified). He explains that their relationship should stay professional so after one last kiss he lets her go.
Angelique is finding it extremely difficult to sell the chocolate. It is really old fashioned and none of the usual places want to buy it. What they don't know is that Angelique is the mysterious hermit that use to sell to a certain dealer, who recently died. She lies to a customer and tells them that the factory is working on a new line of chocolates. Due to her social anxiety, she can't explain to anyone that she is the chocolate hermit. She concocts a plan to teach the workers how to make her chocolate without them knowing she is the actual one behind it by using technology. She says that the chocolatier is watching through a webcam and telling her everything to tell them. However, the plan doesn't work and the other workers figure out that she is the hermit. They enter the chocolate into a chocolate conference to debut it. Angelique and Jean-Rene are the only ones from the factory that go. Since it is out of town they have to spend the night, and do to a mix up they are forced to share a room. Needless to say awkward hi-jinx ensue.
First off, any movie that starts with a french version of "I Have Confidence" I am instantly going to like. And although I love socially awkward scenes, this was almost to the point of being painful. Think Michael Cera awkward instead of Zooey Deschanel awkward. That doesn't mean I wasn't smiling and laughing because I was. The color palette was perfect for the movie and helped to set the tone. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate but I really wish I was eating some during this movie. I don't say this too often, but I wish the film was longer. I felt the love story was a little rushed and would have liked it to slow down so we could really enjoy watching them squirm as they fell in love.
Rating: ****
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