La Mome Cotillard

Rating: 5/10 (11 December 2007)

Whether or not one appreciates this film depends on one's opinion of Cotillard's performance--the rest of it is perfunctory. I think that her performance is indeed remarkable--she is the Piaf that this film wants us to see. Others have mentioned omissions and deviations from Piaf's life story--but a lot of it is here. It is just filmed and told in such a conventional and plodding manner that it can be hard to get through. There are some very moving scenes--when Piaf loses her lover in the plane crash, her struggle with drugs--again, a testament to Cotillard's acting. I am not unhappy that I saw this film--the parts where Piaf/Cotillard is singing are pleasant enough, but on the whole, not a great film.