Clotilde Courau, Elisabeth Commelin, Emmanuelle Seigner

The life story of singer Edith Piaf.

Flixster Users

83% liked it

26,998 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

140 critics

PG-13, 2 hrs. 20 min.

Directed by: Olivier Dahan

Release Date: February 14, 2007

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DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007

Stats: 10,085 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (10,085)


  • July 6, 2009
    Overall a beautiful and moving film.

    I was far from an expert on Edith Piaf going into this film, but I do own a few of her CD's, have seen images of her and knew a bit about her tragic life. I have to say that Cotillard did a breath taking job at bringing Edith to life for t...( read more)his film and deserved every award that was given to her for the effort.

    The acting (across the board is superb) and the music, costumes and set designs are brilliant.

    I do feel that the editing left certain aspects of the story a little hard to follow at times. II'd be interested to know (from someone who is fluent in French) if they felt the same, as so often much can be lost in the translation process.
  • March 15, 2009
    Committed performance from Cotillard understandably caught the Academy's eye but the surrounding film was functional at best.
  • February 10, 2009
    Wow, before I saw this I had absolutely no idea about the story, let alone the fact that its a biopic! The film follows the life and career of of one France's singing gems, Edith Pilaf, detailing her tough childhood, her rise to fame and her ill health. I just found it so interes...( read more)ting seeing how this painfully shy little girl with brilliant blue eyes became such a singing legend, and I felt real pity at what she had to go through in life. Fantastic story aside, the film is worth watching just for Marion Cotillard's performance, absolutely spell-binding! I was thrilled to learn she even got the Oscar for Best Actress (go girl!). So if foreign language films are your thing, even biopics, or if you're a fan of Edith Pilaf, this is compulsory viewing! It's definitely foreign language at its best.
  • January 20, 2009
    Directed by: Oliver Dahan.
    Starring: Marion Cotillard, Gérard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau.

    "The most astonishing immersion of one performer into the body and soul of another ever encountered on film."

    Those of you who have seen and reviewed the...( read more) film, no doubt put this snippet of a review on there's, so don't mind me being a bit repetitive, but I have reason too. Sure, Marion Cotillard is masterful here (that word still doesn't cut it) and I'll cover that soon, but many don't also realize the brilliance of the film itself.

    The story follows Edith Piaf, as you may already know. We are shown her troubled childhood, from her abandonment as a young girl to her life in the circus, to her instant success in her 20's. From there, not only did she have her ups and downs with her career, she had her problems with alcohol and drugs, her battle with rheumatism and her deal with love, all leading to her early death.

    Oliver Dahan deserves a round of applause. Not only has he created a respectable biography underneath a masterful performance, he has created a technically outstanding film. His screenplay does suffer a little from being a little too short and cutting past some small aspects of Edith's life, but it is otherwise full of a brilliant understanding of this mysterious women and done with such emotion and depth. His direction is impeccable, he chooses some wise shots and the perfect camera styles and setups for each emotion being radiated off the screen...and with some of the very best editing I have seen in years, there are many key montages and shots that blend together so well with such respect and meaning (the sequence of Edith's loss and then suddenly walking onto stage to sing), if you don't notice these, then you are missing out.

    The soundtrack couldn't be done any other way. I half expected a top composer to come in and create his own score for the film but it would have not worked. The score consists of Edith Piaf and that's it...and with the perfect placement and the right songs for many key scenes, it really adds the emotion and intensity to the film that the songs hold already by themselves.

    The performances...first, to be nice, all of the smaller performances by many spanning over the decades of the film are great, with not a bad egg in amongst them all, they are all outshone and slightly forgotten. Marion Cotillard has done brilliance beyond imagination. I could certainly be clichéd and say that she deserves the Oscar, which she is bound to win, but its more than that. This performance deserves a whole new category...at the end of the day, it isn't acting...its channeling. From the cute shyness of her early years, to her emotional struggles in her 30's, to her quirkiness in her late years, Marion Cotillard IS Edith Piaf. From her look over the decades, to her movements, right down to the persona of the role, Marion is brilliant, outstanding, masterful...no words of mine can sum it up. 'Hall of Fame' really does call her name.

    At a solid 140 minute running time, La Vie En Rose could have been a lot to take in, but with the brilliant structure, the outstanding editing, the respectable, thoughtful and technically brilliant direction...and the best performance in decades, La Vie En Rose is an engrossing, respectful and truly is the perfect Edith Piaf biography. Up there with some of the best films of the year.

    90/100

    << "Americans want beauties, not me. I'm not the Parisian bombshell they expected. Can you see me as a chorus girl? Where's my feather up the ass? They think I'm sad, they're dumb. I don't connect to them." >>

  • December 25, 2008
    A mgnificent performance by Cotillard, but the movie itself was just above average. It skips around a lot, but doesn't hold back on telling Piaf's life the was it was...she enjoyed life and had her share of detractors. Not having ever been a huge fan of hers, I couldn't into this...( read more) as much as I would've liked.
  • November 5, 2009
    This movie was so boring I got a headache from watching it.I could NOT sit through it all.What a piece of crap.
  • October 26, 2009
    The lead actress can't really act but the film is informative to the point where you understand how iconic Edith Piaf was at one point and still is. Didn't bore me.
  • October 23, 2009
    (Feb. 2007 Director: Olivier Dahan) This movie touched me in the old style very very Charlie Chaplain kind of way...not exactly a musical..although rich and demonstrative of the times it is set in....

    Gerard Deparieu (Cyrano, The Man in the Iron Mask & the Count of Monte Cris...( read more)to) as Daddy De L'Eppe..who was a savior truly a saviour to little near orphan Edith, now Edith Piaf (Marion Coutillard). I am almost ashamed to have waited to see this on Netflix online as an "instant play," but it moved me so on this late Saturday night..I feel I myself this woman's life story is an inspiration to go on--no matter what obstacle or loss! This mighty little woman with the big voice & incredible big violet blue eyes...went from singing with her circus performing Dad on the streets (begging) passing through a deep albeit life-long friendship with another runaway gal (portrayed by Elisabeth Commelin) and ultimately to arrive in demand commanding the talents of many refined & talented along the way.....

    St. Theresa is to whom little Edith prays as a small child...and she even has visions regarding this spiritual connection.

    Craig's & Badblondie's reviews definitely made this sound like a must-see! And they were oooohh soooooo right!

    Sad...heart rendering story of an amazing life, born a deprived child, shuffled back and forth between Dad & Grandma (who ran a brothel where she was truly loved, however), back with dad...rather sickly in her youth.

    A tiny frame with such a large spirit & love of the cabaret night life & camaraderie as a common person who was destined for fame despite her obstacles.

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  • October 16, 2009
    Good biography on Edith Piaf.
  • October 13, 2009
    I wasn't impressed..I have seen better biopics about far more interesting people.

Critic Reviews


July 11, 2007
Armond White, The New York Press

It's early for Oscar baiting but Marion Cotillard's performance as Édith Piaf in La Vie En Rose puts itself on the hook. full review

June 15, 2007
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

... Marion Cotillard, lip-syncing Piaf's songs and digging into her soul with gale-force urgency, gives a performance for the ages. full review

June 15, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

... one of the best biopics I've seen ... full review

June 14, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Dahan and Cotillard have created an amazing biopic of an extraordinary voice attached to a fragile and fallible woman. full review

June 11, 2007
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

La Vie en Rose has some peculiar ellipses. full review

June 8, 2007
Pete Hammond, Maxim

A remarkable portrait by Marion Cotillard so uncannily rich and detailed it defies description. Screen acting just doesn't get much better than this. full review

June 8, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

There's a riveting tale within this awkward litany of pivotal moments. Still, despite the film's uneven nature, Cotillard's extraordinary performance is worth experiencing. full review

June 8, 2007
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

It is hard not to admire Ms. Cotillard for the discipline and ferocity she brings to the role. But it is equally hard to be completely swept up in Mr. Dahan's dutiful, functional and ultimately superf...

June 7, 2007
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

[Director Dahan's] approach draws more attention to the filmmaking than it does to the life. Dahan seems to believe that chronology is bourgeois: Pure storytelling is all fine and dandy, but he wants ... full review

June 6, 2007
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

I left the theater with a resounding headache. full review

View more La Vie en Rose (La Mome) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • pavacri23
    July 19, 2008
    this drama is pretty good and the acting man is awesome especially of the girl
  • imshy004
  • weshmomo
    March 5, 2007
    Marion Cotillard n'en finira pas de nous impressionner je crois...
    Je dois avouer que j'étais un peu déçu de ne pas retrouver son joli minois aux côtés de Sami Naceri dans le dernier Taxi... mais elle s'est excusée de la plus belle des façon en nous ressuscitant la grande Edith...
    Sans oublier les performances tout aussi remarquables de Clotilde Courau et surtout de Sylvie Testud dont le jeu débordant d'émotion confirme tout ce que l'on sait déja sur leur talent... merci les filles...!

    PS: Gerard tu sais déja tout ce que je pense de toi je pense que j'ai pas besoin de le répeter...! lol
    Change pas mon vieux t'es le meilleur !

    Et le remerciement final ira a Olivier Dahan... le cinéma français peut etre fier d'être représenté par un homme tel que lui, cette oeuvre est grandiose... merci Olivier !

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La Vie en Rose (La Mome) Trivia


  • The movie 'La Vie en Rose' or 'Mome, La', is about the life of which singer?  Answer »

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