La Vie En Rose (La Môme) 2007

Tragic life!

 4

By Mark

Best movie in years.

 5

Has to be the best movie in years, but oh, what a story it has to tell. She was a legend, and it must not be easy to act a legend, but Marion Cotillard was made for the role. She was La vie en Rose.
The flashbacking aspect took a little getting used to, but was the way to go.

By Edward Boult

Nicely done biopic with flaws

 4

A well-intentioned biography of the mercurial Edith Piaf, with a superb lead performance by Cotilliard, but it falls short of any real insight into the woman herself having been distracted by the actions around her most of the time. The music is great and recreated well, and Depardieu makes a short but telling cameo.

By D F Stuckey

epic

 5

this is why the french now have a social welfare system

By helena

Magnificent and Moving

 5

Marion Cotillard was magnificent in this movie. She portrayed Edith Piaff in such an intense way that I felt I was watching Edith Piaff. Marion captured her spirit and her physical being. I had hoped that Marion would be awarded Best Actress Oscar, and I cried when she received it.

By Suzi

Seen it several times

 5

Having been in the past in the exhibition side of the cinema.Its probably the best adaption of a singer I have ever seen.
Characterization was brilliant and I thought Johnny Cash(Walk the Line) was good but this was even better.
Unforgettable songs will live with me a longtime.
Its what is known as a sleeper in the industry where word of mouth sells the filma,and have No Regrets in saying I have seen it 5 times.

By paul rowland

T R A G E D Y!

 4

And you think you have problems?....... amazing movie. Definitly requires a dozen tissues within easy reach.
Yep, credits rolled, nobody moved, nobody spoke.....such tragedy!
Who could have known such a powerful voice could come from such a frail body.

By lori

A Rose by Marion Cotillard Smells as Sweet

 4

A brilliant performance by Marion Cotillard who carries this movie through the difficult personal life story of a magnificent performing artist, Edith Piaf.
A story well told, all be it a bit jerky back and forth.
There was silence in the cinema at the end of this film which meant to me the story tellers had done a remarkable job.

By angela reading

Heavy going

 4

Ok, so everyone is frothing at the mouth for this movie and especially the outstanding performance of Madame Marion Cotillard. I expected to be blown away and to come out inspired by the beauty of Piaf's music while being moved by the tragedy that she overcame. But life isn't always like that.

Without getting into the details too much, Piaf's early life is tragedy and disappointment until she is discovered singing on a street corner by a cabaret owner. This, it seems, catapults her to stardom. But we see very little of this illutrious career, unlike movies like Ray and Walk the Line where we get to see the person in question in the prime of their lives, performing to adoring audiences.

Instead, this movie focuses pretty much on Piaf's childhood (fraught with suffering and pain) and her final days (also filled with suffering and pain). This makes for a very joyless film. Where are the 20-odd years of greatness that made her a star? This made me feel that the film lacked balance - this is a woman who France considers to be a national treasure - surely there were parts of her life that were thoroughly enjoyable?

As a musician myself, I LOVE musical biopics like Ray and Walk the Line (Johnny Cash) but this one dwelled too much for my taste on the misery of an admittedly very difficult life. In many ways this deserves 5 stars but in terms of how enjoyable it is to watch, I'd say about 3 1/2 stars, so I've given it four as a kind of critical middle ground.

By Sam

compelling tragic story

 5

my preference in movies such as this is a chronological and easy to follow story, so the flicking back and forward in time was irritating, but that was soon absorbed in this compelling and tragic story. The costumes, make-up and the acting by Marion Cotillard can only be described as outstanding despite the distraction of the english sub-titles. I was so moved to go out and buy the movie soundtrack to savor the emotion so very successfully portrayed. definately a well-eqarned 5 rating

By Eric

The soul of Paris..

 5

This story of one of the worlds best known and lasting voices is captivating, well acted and put to gether. A little confusing in the way it bounces from one time of life to another and back, a little disturbing to see the life of such achievement and such suffering, but never-the-less an astonishing story.

By brian

c'est magnifique

 5

I loved this movie, a real homage to the great Edith Piaf. The movie jumps a lot through her life, which at first is a bit off putting and confusing. However, after a while I got used to it and didn't mind it as much anymore.

It isn't a movie for the depressed as it is definitely not a feel-good movie. It shows her struggles through life, from early childhood till her death. However, most of her songs are woven through the movie, which makes the soundtrack just one of the best of its kind.

It is a bit of an artistic, alternative, festival movie. You have to like that kind of movies to appreciate this, I think. I personally loved it and recommend it to anybody who likes Edith Piaf's music and is into seeing festival foreign movies.

By Margaretha