X
- 2009
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 45 m
- 2009
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 45 m
Summary This is the story of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who begins her life as a headstrong orphan, and through an extraordinary journey becomes the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman and became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style. (Sony Pictures Classics)
Directed By: Anne Fontaine
Written By: Edmonde Charles-Roux, Camille Fontaine, Anne Fontaine
- 2009
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 45 m
- 2009
- PG-13
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 45 m
Coco Before Chanel
65
6.8
Where to Watch
Summary This is the story of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who begins her life as a headstrong orphan, and through an extraordinary journey becomes the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman and became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style. (Sony Pictures Classics)
Directed By: Anne Fontaine
Written By: Edmonde Charles-Roux, Camille Fontaine, Anne Fontaine
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
65
70% Positive
21 Reviews
21 Reviews
27% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
65
70% Positive
21 Reviews
21 Reviews
27% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The naturalism of Anne Fontaine's film would be at home in a novel by Dreiser. Her star Audrey Tautou, who could make lovability into a career, avoids any effort to make Coco Chanel nice, or soft, or particularly sympathetic.
Anne Fontaine’s biopic transforms the designer’s early life into highbrow guilty-pleasure gold.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
6.8
58% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
42% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
6.8
58% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
42% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
I really enjoyed this. Anne Fontaine really did a fine job of showing the trials and tribulations, the ordeals that Coco had to go through in order to be vastly successful. Probably one of my fifty favourite films by a female director.
The film grew over its course as she herself bloomed and gained more self-confidence, and was a sumptuous delight with ravishing and inspired performance by Audrey Tautou. Beautiful to look at and with wonderful soundtrack too, showing the multi-faceted beauty, both inside and out, of the amazing French woman. She is always watchable, gorgeous and fervently likable--and was a fine choice to do the portrayal. This was Important in showing that she was nobody's wife, mistress or fool, and was one of the best in coming from awful circumstances which could have crippled others, but through discovering and believing in herself became an icon without peer.
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I enjoyed this film in terms of the plot and the dialogue - Coco is a quite thoughtful person, an ambitious woman who I admire. As a period drama its reasonably good, with some impressive costumes and settings. It may be a little lsow moving, plot wise, for some people - its certainly not an action packed or constantly drama filled film but as I say, its somewhat thought provoking, perhaps a bit deep in a way, with the titular character questioning why things in society are, how they are. Seeing her frustrations, I felt sorry for her at times and I'd say that Audrey Tatou gives a perfectly decent performance but its not the sort of biopic film I'd be entirely keen to re-watch. Its certainly not a bad film but its not one of the most memorable either, hence my rating. If your interested in the story this film depicts or your a fan of Tatou, then I'd say that yes, I'd recommend it, otherwise perhaps not.
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Not an expansive biopic but a fascinating snapshot of a pivotal chapter for Chanel, her formative fashionista years.
Spectacle, a love triangle, heritage settings, bravura acting, witty dialogue, a bittersweet finale: There's something for everyone in Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel.
A better title: "Coco Before She Was Interesting."
The movie is neither an affecting romance (Coco even considers marrying Balsan because "I'd achieve social status") nor an inspiring success story. Chanel sold herself to one guy, happened to get customers through him, and took a start-up loan from another lover.
Coco Before Chanel possessed the ability to match other famous French Biopic La Vie En Rose, with Audrey Tautou in the cast and a subject of one of the most prominent figures in the fashion industry. Sadly, it never becomes a great film as it only focuses on one part of Chanels life, which eventually becomes tedious after the audience realizes the emptiness of the film. The aspect the movie is lacking is the focus on her designing career, which is the purest and deepest flaw in the film. Director Anne Fontaine mainly focuses on Chanels life before fame, showing her stories of love and her liaison with Baron Balsan. Tautou, known for her role in Amelie, does succeed in emulating Chanels fierceness and apathy, but the problem is the plot itself. Overall, Chanel is a perfect example of a film with a good premise and subject, but fails to reach the potential that it is allotted.
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Production Company
Haut et Court,
Ciné@,
Warner Bros.,
France 2 Cinéma,
Canal+,
CinéCinéma,
France 2 (FR2),
Playtime,
Cofinova 5,
Banque Populaire Images 9,
Scope Pictures,
Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral Belge,
Soficapital,
SCOPE Invest
Release Date Sep 25, 2009
Duration 1 h 45 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Before she was France's famous mademoiselle...
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
César Awards, France
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 4 Nominations
