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The Chocolate War

Play trailer Poster for The Chocolate War R 1988 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% 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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The Chocolate War

Critics Reviews

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Joel Siegel Chicago Reader 05/11/2022
3/4
The film is especially insightful about the way power structures–social, religious, political–reinforce one another, despite conflicting values and goals, to squelch individualism. Go to Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/28/2010
4/5
Fans of the book may enjoy this dark story. Go to Full Review Jeremiah Kipp Slant Magazine 04/15/2007
3/4
The Chocolate War is reminiscent of another kind of movie that one wishes could be jump-started again: Angry Young Man films. Go to Full Review Richard Freedman Newark Star-Ledger Jan 6
1/4
"The Chocolate War" is lethargically directed by Keith Gordon. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 10/01/2022
3/4
Keith Gordon's direction is unhurried and understated, and the film is all the stronger because of it. Go to Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault 04/21/2007
A-
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jay B @RT88303663 05/20/2025 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. See more s r @ScottR 01/06/2023 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. See more 05/18/2021 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 See more 07/11/2018 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. See more 05/14/2018 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. See more 02/03/2016 Puts me at war with how good the movie was. See more Read all reviews
The Chocolate War

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Cast & Crew

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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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The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War (1988) The Chocolate War (1988) View more photos

Movie Info

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