Well made but somewhat disappointing

Rating: 7/10 (19 August 2010)

Edith Piaf's life was so dramatic and tragic that you would think that a French made biopic of her would have to be brilliant. However I was somewhat disappointed with "La Vie En Rose". It is a good film but when it is obvious how much work and money has been put into its making the result appears to be less than the sum of it's parts.
There are many excellent aspects to the film such as the acting, costumes, set design and make up. Marion Cotillard is brilliant as Piaf from her early twenties to her very aged fifties. Piaf comes across as incredibly talented but self-destructive and incapable of dealing with the trappings of her success. Some critics have said that this isn't an accurate portrait. Cotillard's Oscar win for a non English speaking role was as deserved as it was unexpected. The supporting cast are also excellent.
There are some great scenes in the movie. The slightly seedy atmosphere of the Paris music halls where Piaf started performing publicly is very well portrayed. The scene where she hears of the tragic death of her lover Marcel Cerdan is also memorable.
At the start of movie a lot of time is given to describing Piaf's very sad upbringing after being abandoned in one way or the other by both her parents. These scenes were touching but melodramatic. I thought they took up too much of the film as the most interesting part of her life was after she started performing. The film switches back and forth in time and this means that we see dramatic episodes from Piaf's life but it isn't always clear why she acted in that way.
A film that is worth seeing but I was left with the feeling that it wasn't as satisfying as it could have been.