Audrey Tautou,
Benoît Poelvoorde,
Marie Gillain,
Emmanuelle Devos,
Alessandro Nivola
... see more 
Amélie and The Da Vinci Code star Audrey Tautou stars as legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel in this biopic penned by director Anne Fontaine and screenwriter Camille Fontaine in collaboration with ... read more
Directed by: Anne Fontaine
Release Date: September 25, 2009
Keywords:
slow,
audrey tautou,
coco chanel,
fashion designer,
before chanel,
Audrey Tautou ,
Coco Chanel ,
Gabrielle Chanel ,
Anne Fontaine
DVD Release Date: February 16, 2010
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Stats: 2,007 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (2,007)
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October 14, 2011Another biopic of the fashion template Coco Chanel, this French language film romanticizes the life of a woman who favored simplicity in her style, leading to a feminization of rebellion in the fashion world, and in women's every day life.Still, though Chanel was a prominent figu... read more
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January 7, 2011Beautifully shot and a good introduction into the early years of Coco Chanel. I have to admit I knew nothing at all about her.
Audrey Tautou suits the role so well, I could now not imagine her any other way. A good true story about a strong and inspirational woman who rose way a... read more -
December 30, 2010I was very intrigued at the idea of watching this, first of all, I love Audrey Tautou. Second I love that period. Thirdly, I do love the sharp simplicity of Chanel's designs.
I love the production design. The costumes were gorgeous and the cinematography was impeccable. But I thi... read more -
October 15, 2010The lovely, charming Audrey Tautou has graduated into a full-blown, versatile actress. This is a film that challenges her to move beyond the mannerisms and characterizations that won her international acclaim, and she responds. She creates a hard-nosed feminist, whose smile, tho... read more
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July 16, 2010There is always a danger when bringing a biopic to the big screen. Do you concentrate on the stuff people know or do you play safe? Some would say they do both but generally they follow the same pattern. Fontaine wisely concentrates on the earlier life of Coco, but doesn't dwell ... read more
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May 9, 2010Though the story may feel too conventional and somehow incomplete, Coco Avant Chanel is a decent film that presents strong performances and a gracious score.
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March 14, 2010Coco Chanel is definitely one of the most important female figures to come out of France in recent years but, honestly, her life before founding fashion house Chanel isn't very interesting.
With COCO AVANT CHANEL, we are treated to a series of bland (but exquisitely shot) vign... read more -
March 12, 2010Perhaps the most memorable thing about Coco Before Chanel is that it is incredibly forgettable. You are left with the experience of having watched something, but that is about it. Audrey Tautou really gives a good performance, but it is not enough to hold up an entire movie. Ther... read more
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March 1, 2010Director-writer Anne Fontaine attempts to portray how young Gabrielle Chanel transformed herself from lowly would-be orphan to the epitome of style and class, via the salons and boudoirs of the Belle Epoque - that was really interested story to know all about her before she becam... read more
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December 29, 2009Could have been Audrey's La Vie En Rose oscar winner, instead is tedious and tepid. I wanted to see Coco as Channel with her wartime Nazi scandal and all her glamour. Still a fairly interesting look at Coco's rise.
Critic Reviews
November 18, 2009
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
October 23, 2009
Christy Lemire, Associated Press
Coco Before Chanel only starts to get interesting when she asserts her creative and financial freedom -- and that's right when the movie's about to end. Full Review
October 23, 2009
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
We are used to seeing Tautou play the sweetheart. Here, she's anything but. Constantly smoking, dour, unsmiling, critical, she plays a character difficult to warm to but fascinating to watch. Full Review
October 16, 2009
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
This refreshing alternative to the usual potted biopic provides an absorbing look at a singular, steely determination as it was forged and annealed, long before it made itself known to the world. Full Review
October 16, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Tautou's sophisticated portrayal won't allow viewers to dismiss Coco as kept. Coco's talents are too pronounced, her approach to intimacy, to life, too aware for that. Full Review
October 16, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
I wish Fontaine would follow up with a sequel: Coco After Chanel. Tautou's performance cries out for a second act. Full Review
October 16, 2009
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
The movie is most fascinating when it shows how Chanel communicated her enlightened sense of womanhood through her innovative designs, which in turn helped women feel differently about themselves. Full Review
October 15, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
The film, although sumptuously produced, is a staid and conventional account of her early years. Full Review
October 9, 2009
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News
The movie does a good job of presenting the social strictures that Chanel refused to be bound by, none more immediate and ubiquitous than the clothes women were expected to wear.
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