“Coco Before Chanel,” starring Audrey Tautou, is visually attractive and mildly diverting. But because director Anne Fontaine focuses more on Coco’s early years and presents Coco as a demanding narcissist, it’s hard to really get involved in Coco’s life. After a brief introduction showing a young Coco and her sister being abandoned at an orphanage by their father, we shift quickly to a twenty-something Coco (Tautou) and Adrienne (Marie Gillain) singing for their supper in a cabaret. There she meets Etienne (Benoit Poelvoorde), a wealthy aristocrat, her on-again/off-again lover. Coco moves in with Etienne, benefiting from his generosity and resentful of his demands. Here she learns how to ride horses, makes hats for his friends and falls in love with his British financial adviser, Arthur Capel (Alessandro Nivola)
Although Tautou looks charming in Coco’s boyish outfits, her Coco is aloof and often unapproachable, making it difficult to have any empathy for her character. The sparkle in Tautou’s eyes, which is her most engaging quality, is nowhere in evidence. “Coco Before Chanel” may provide a back-story for the woman who had such a huge impact on the 20th century fashion industry, but it gives no insights into how she developed from a seamstress at the orphanage to the legend she has become in the final scene. Subtitles. 10/1/09
2 comments:
I enjoyed this film, I thought Audrey Tautou made a great "Coco" and I found her early life to be fascinating! This story of a poor peasant girl to come out of nowhere and become a fashion giant was charming. I suggest seeing this French language bio/drama, not bad at all!
The story was interesting because not much is known about Coco before she became such a fashion icon. However, in the hands of a French director, it tends to plod along.
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