Great performance, so-so movie

Rating: 6/10 (29 September 2009)

There is no question that Marion Cotillard deserved the best actress Oscar for her performance in this film. That having been said, it must also be said that there is no other reason to watch this film. It seesaws between repeated biopic clichés and incoherence. Crucial elements of Piaf's life are left out or, when they are included, they are underexplained and left dangling.
For example, we learn that the boxer Marcel Cerdan was probably the love of her life, but he was married with three kids and refused to leave his wife, before he was killed in a plane crash. According to this film, Piaf had at least two husbands, but we learn absolutely nothing about them, the circumstances of their marriages, and how at least one marriage ended. How many times was Piaf married, anyway? Better look elsewhere, because this film won't tell you. Another example: when the Gerard Depardieu character is murdered, we never learn why he was murdered (there is a hint that mob activity was involved) or why Piaf was a suspect. And was Piaf ever a prostitute? There are indications that she was under the thumb of a pimp who had her sing on the street for his profit and who threatens to make her "spread her legs," but whether she ever does is unclear.
To sum up: see this film only for Cotillard's performance. Otherwise, it is a mess.