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Coco Before Chanel Review

Movies.com Critics

3.5

Dave White Profile

"Wolverine" for fashionistas. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 4.0
    65

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally favorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 60

    out of 100

    Variety

    More sentimental than chic, Gallic biopic Coco Before Chanel nonetheless knits a convincing portrait of the designer's journey from her humble beginnings as a provincial seamstress to the halls of Parisian haute couture.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    The blossoming of her ambition, as much as her love life, drives the story forward, and turns Coco Before Chanel into a costume drama worthy of the name.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter

    Spectacle, a love triangle, heritage settings, bravura acting, witty dialogue, a bittersweet finale: There's something for everyone in Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel.

    Read Full Review

  • 75

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    Not an expansive biopic but a fascinating snapshot of a pivotal chapter for Chanel, her formative fashionista years.

    Read Full Review

  • 75

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Tautou is a fascinating, unsmiling, petite presence with a severe brow and an androgynous appeal, so much so that I wish Alessandro Nivola (Junebug) were a more robust beau as Arthur ''Boy'' Capel, the love of Chanel's life.

    Read Full Review

  • 80

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

    A superior filmed biography that brings intelligence, restraint and style to what could have been a more standard treatment.

    Read Full Review

  • 80

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    Coco is played by Audrey Tautou, and she's phenomenal--self-contained, tightly focused, sparing with her smiles, miserly with her joy, often guarded to the point of severity, yet giving off a grave radiance at every moment she's in front of the camera.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    The naturalism of Anne Fontaine's film would be at home in a novel by Dreiser. Her star Audrey Tautou, who could make lovability into a career, avoids any effort to make Coco Chanel nice, or soft, or particularly sympathetic.

    Read Full Review

  • See all Coco Before Chanel reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

OK for kids 13+

Fashion biopic is OK for teens; more style than substance.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this historical biopic depicting Coco Chanel’s life before she hit it big as a fashion designer examines her somewhat scandalous love-life, in which she is kept by one man but is in love with another, both aware of the other. Her benefactor often treats her like chattel. Though she asserts her independence, she puts up with his disrespect, too. Nevertheless, Coco come across as an incredibly strong woman, a pioneer in many ways. There’s a good bit of drinking and smoking, and some subtle love scenes. The movie is in French, with English subtitles.

  • Families can talk about why Chanel decides to become Balsan’s mistress. Did she have any other options? What does her situation say about the opportunities available to women at the time?
  • What do you think about Chanel’s romantic entanglements? Is it possible for her to be with the man she loves?

The good stuff
  • message true3

    Messages: Coco never doubts her innate fashion sense, nor her ability to make it on her own terms at a time when women had few options other than depending on men. Her strength and fiery independence raise plenty of eyebrows, but she really doesn’t care, and in the end is able to achieve her goals.

  • rolemodels true1

    Role models: Coco’s devotion to living independently, despite her limited means and low station, is admirable. However, her chosen path is becoming a mistress to a wealthy man who treats her like property. Women have few options in this period, and many must make the least-bad choice to get by.

What to watch for
  • violence false1

    Violence: A man doesn’t lay a finger on his mistress, but he does talk about her in a dominating, demeaning manner, making it clear she’s like his property.

  • sex false2

    Sex: Men and women flit from one partner to another. Some scenes showing them kissing and tussling in bed (no nudity). Frank conversations about what it’s like to be a kept woman.

  • language false0

    Language: The film is in French, with English subtitles. No swearing in either language, though there is some subtle innuendo.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not much, except toward the end when more of Coco Chanel’s clothes and hats are on display.

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Plenty of smoking and social drinking at parties, including a few balls that get quite bawdy and raucous. A few scenes take place in bars, with lots of drinking and suggestive behavior.

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.563
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
4

Coco and the Nazis by flemingrut
In order for filmgoers to have the full picture, I recommend that they go online to learn about Mme. Chanel's collaboration with the Nazis during the war.

4

Coco Avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel) by lafab714
Well-acted, beautifully photographed, scenic. The movie pace was steady until the last 15 minutes of the movie when the storyline fast-forwarded to the start of her couture house. All those years in between were more interesting chapters in her life. Understandably, the movie can't cover that time period, but the ending should have shown her moving forward after the accident. Too jarring and confusing an ending for the pace of the movie. Still worth seeing.

4

Coco Berries by piktures
Great film about the rise of Coco Chanel. Audrey Tatou was great as Coco. She is an understated actress and can play a subtle and complicated character. Coco is a much better role for her than Amelie - where I don't remember her saying a word the entire film. She must have gotten a facial tic from holding that sweet smile and doe eyed look the entire shoot. Coco Chanel has to choose her words carefully because she works her way up from nothing. But you can always tell she has intelligence from the incisiveness of those words. The costumes and art direction are great - I especially enjoyed seeing the contrast of Coco's loose and elegant style with the corseted merengues. Interesting that we are back to those corsets now.

3

Coco Just So-So by vizwords
Generally well done. I thought it would be great based on reviews and previews, but there was not enough time given to what made Coco the way she was. Sure, she was an orphan - so was her sister and she didn't want to fly in the face of conformity. And there was a hugh jump at the end from - noone will ever go for this stype fo style - to CoCo is a a smash success. Don't get me wrong - this movie could have been a lot worse. If you like this typr of movie, it will be much more anjoyable than a trip to Couples Retreat, but it has a few holes.

Read all Coco Before Chanel reviews at Fandango
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