Coco Before Chanel

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  • Opened September 25, 2009 
  • 1 hr 50 min
  • PG-13 | sexual content and smoking

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+. More on child suitability

  • Coco Before Chanel is the story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, who began her life as headstrong orphan, and through an extraordinary journey became the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman and became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style. The film portrays the formative years of Chanel's life, the years of Chanel spent discovering and inventing herself. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos, Alessandro Nivola
  • Director: Anne Fontaine
  • Genres: Documentary

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Coco Before Chanel review

by Emilie_luvs_movies<3

it was enjoyable to watch. my eyes were glued to the movie the whole time...

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Critic Reviews

88
Chicago Sun-Times
| Roger Ebert

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. Read full review

80
Wall Street Journal
| Joe Morgenstern

Coco is played by Audrey Tautou, and she's phenomenal--self-contained, tightly focused, sparing with her smiles, miserly with her joy, often guarded to the point of severity, yet giving off a grave radiance at every moment she's in front of the camera. Read full review

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
| Carrie Rickey

Maybe it's just the subtitles, but it would seem that Fontaine has a keener eye for the elements that made Chanel's style than she has an ear for dialogue. But she gets a splendid performance from Tautou. Read full review

75
Miami Herald
| Rene Rodriguez

Through Tautou's performance, Coco Before Chanel reveals the formation of an artist. Read full review

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Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel in "Coco Before Chanel."