The Chocolate War + Q&A w/ Ilan Mitchell-Smith
The Frida Cinema's seating is first-come, first-serve. For our Midnight Screenings, please plan on arriving by 11:30pm to ensure ample time for parking, picking up concessions, and securing optimal seats. Screening will begin promptly at midnight.
Director: Keith Gordon Run Time: 104 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1988
Starring: Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Jenny Wright, John Glover
Join us for a special screening of Keith Gordon’s 1988 drama The Chocolate War, after which the film’s star, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, will be joining us for a post-screening Q&A!
A dark and moody adaptation of Robert Cormier’s controversial 1974 novel, The Chocolate War set in a strict Catholic boys’ school ruled by tradition, manipulation, and silent oppression. When Jerry Renault (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), a new student at Trinity High School, refuses to participate in the school’s annual chocolate sale, he unwittingly challenges the authority of both corrupt Brother Leon (a menacing John Glover), as well as a secret student society known as The Vigils. His defiance sparks a quiet revolution — but also a descent into psychological warfare, where conformity and cruelty are weaponized to devastating effect.
The directorial debut of then-26-year-old actor Keith Gordon, who undoubtedly gained valuable insight from having worked with auteur legends like Bob Fosse (All That Jazz), Brian De Palma (Home Movies and Dressed to Kill), and John Carpenter (Christine), The Chocolate War employs a distinct visual and narrative style to powerfully convey the novel’s unsettling themes of power, rebellion, and the price of individuality. Anchored by stark cinematography by Tom Richmond, and a haunting ’80s soundtrack steeped in yearning and melancholy, The Chocolate War remains a powerful coming-of-age story that dares to ask what happens when standing up means standing alone.
ABOUT ILAN MITCHELL-SMITH
Perhaps best known to film fans as Wyatt Donnelly in Weird Science, Ilan Mitchell‑Smith made a lasting impression as one of the quintessential teen heroes of 1980s cult cinema. Before that, he got his start in ballet, trained at the School of American Ballet, and was discovered by Sidney Lumet, making his screen debut in Daniel (1983). He followed that up with roles in The Wild Life, The Chocolate War, and the TV series Superboy, before stepping away from acting in the early ‘90s.
Today, Ilan is an Associate Professor of English at Cal State Long Beach, where he specializes in medieval literature, chivalric romance, and how medieval themes show up in everything from video games to Dungeons & Dragons. An active writer, speaker, and pop culture scholar, he brings a unique perspective to the intersection of media, myth, and meaning.