Monday Morning Maybe

Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for Like Water for Chocolate

Like Water for Chocolate

Seen it?

1992 | 105 min | Drama, Romance

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (87% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it made about 11 times its budget. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for romantics. If you loved Atonement, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Warm and romantic.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 45 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated R: meant for adults.
  • It's in Spanish, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

Tita is passionately in love with Pedro, but her controlling mother forbids her from marrying him. When Pedro marries her sister, Tita throws herself into her cooking and discovers she can transfer her emotions through the food she prepares, infecting all who eat it with her intense heartbreak.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    87% on Rotten Tomatoes, 86 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.3 out of 10

  • AwardsWeak

    0 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals

  • Box office & staying powerStrong

    $22 million worldwide on a $2 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 157K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Alfonso Arau

  • Lumi CavazosTita
  • Marco LeonardiPedro Muzquiz
  • Regina TornéMamá Elena
  • Mario Iván MartínezJohn Brown
  • Ada CarrascoNacha
  • Yareli ArizmendiRosaura
  • Claudette MailléGertrudis
  • Pilar ArandaChencha
  • Farnesio de BernalCura
  • Joaquín GarridoSergeant Treviño