Brilliant Acting Pulls It Off

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2014)

I am convinced that this is one of the finest acting feats for a biopic by any actor along with Jamie Foxx for Ray and Meryl Streep for the Iron Lady come to mind. Also Charlize Theron for Monster.
As in all the cases, Marion Cotillard is able to bring to the screen the charisma of the character that she is portraying and that is what gets you hooked.
There is a lot of content, which is somewhat non-linear and can be a little irritating at times and a little tiring.
The characterization of Edith Piaf from Poverty and struggle to riches based only on her talent is quite inspiring.
The film shows the vulnerability that the best of the talents have to endure from the mass of attention that surrounds them. It is not always easy to cope with them and those that can't, end up very miserable.
However, this film in general doesn't seem to have much purpose, e.g. to address the larger music scene. It tends to focus only on Piaf and her strong hallucinations as well as tantrums.
It would have been nice had the film had a broader context. But nonetheless, the film handled its content quite nicely but lacked a sense of direction in general.
If you are looking for great acting performances, watch this. If you are looking for great stories, this may be skipped.