Disappointing...no direction...no red line throughout the movie...Cotillard exaggerates...

Rating: 3/10 (6 March 2007)

i saw this movie today and i was really disappointed! After seeing the trailer and being absolutely amazed and emotionally caught by it, i expected the same for the movie, but it just didn't work. Olivier Dahan's "innovative" style of jumping through the time zones was interesting the first few times, but then it just got annoying and confusing. in the beginning he used inserts with time references but than he stopped and just did it when he thought necessary. due to this confusing plot construction one couldn't really built up a connection to the main character, but most of all one couldn't understand Edith Piaf at all...in my opinion the biggest problem of this movie is that it's trying too hard to combine so many things from her life and then loosing itself in unimportant scenes and unmotivated shots. MOTIVATION...is missing here...one doesn't understand the motivation of the character and the motivation of the director (why he chooses some, obviously unnecessary, shots). relationships are not explained and therefore not understandable most of the time...so many friends, but do i know anything about their relations now?? not really...besides this, i neither think that Marion Cotillard was as brilliant as they raved about her. in my opinion she just made her look so childish most of the time and just exaggerated in many of the scenes. it's a shame, because at the Berlin film-festival everyone raved about this movie and i seriously can't see why...there are indeed a few beautiful moments in the movie, but they stand apart..the best part is still the beginning, when we learn about her childhood and of course all the singing scenes...it's the music that gives u goosebumps, but u also get them at home listening to the CD!...well...this is just my opinion. I wouldn't recommend it, but one has always have to find out for him- or herself! So go see it and make up your own mind!