Iffy for 16+
French Edith Piaf biopic sings one lady's blues.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that most kids probably won't be clamoring to see this subtitled biopic about French singer Edith Piaf. Which may be just as well, since her life was difficult, and the movie doesn't skimp on the details of her powerful alcohol and drug addictions. Young teens might need guidance understanding why she's so dependent. Older teens may be able to handle these themes (though there are explicit scenes of intravenous use), but they could still be confounded by both how Piaf was abandoned and mistreated by her parents, relatives, and friends. Though there's a sense that Edith triumphed over adversity, the relentless tragedies may be overwhelming. Expect some swearing and sex (Piaf grows up among prostitutes).
- Families can talk about Piaf's addictions. Why do you think she turned to alcohol and drugs? Did she have any other way to cope with her troubles? What about her singing? How did the media portray her rise and fall? Was Piaf beloved by her fans, warts and all? If she had become famous today, how would the media cover her addictions? Would they harm or help her celebrity?
The good stuff
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Messages: Full of question marks: Piaf was a disturbed soul who ran around with a rough crowd, including mobsters. Parents abandon their children and beg for money from them; women service men for pay; lots of drinking and drug use; Piaf sings to earn enough francs to eat and get inebriated. Despite the setbacks, Piaf does seem to find respite in her singing, and she manages to lift herself out of poverty through her talents.
What to watch for
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Violence: A man hits Piaf; screaming fights and fisticuffs in bars; insults are hurled; drunken tantrums have characters throwing objects; Piaf crashes a car while driving drunk; a prostitute is physically violated by a client; a fairly extended boxing scene includes lots of punches.
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Sex: Piaf grows up among prostitutes in a brothel, and their "business" is portrayed here, including fleeting scenes of half-naked men wandering the halls, sado-masochism (a woman is bound to a bed), and violence (another is physically violated by her client). Some kissing and groping, but few actual sex scenes. One scene shows Piaf in bed with a lover, under covers.
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Language: Surprisingly mild, though certainly not clean, considering the subject. Some uses of "s--t" and "bastard" (in subtitles).
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Consumerism: Not too much, save for mention of specific song titles.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: A nearly endless parade of alcohol and drug use; Piaf and her friends loved to drink. Later, Piaf and some of her cohorts turn to morphine, and there are scenes of intravenous use, with bloody syringes in full view.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Marion Cotillard is brilliant! by SeaPR
All I needed to know to go was that the film was a French biopic about Edith Piaf. Then I heard it was getting "mixed reviews" so I saw the movie first and read the rviews later to prevent them from baising me. This film, its directions, and the brillian performance by Marion Cotillard confirm why I AVOID mainstream American critics when it comes to most indpendent, art house, and foreign films. They like a neatly packaged product where the audience can be a passive recipeint without having to think too much or join the director in a journey to put a story together. If a mainstream filmmaker dares to use flashbacks, he/she must draw a map and put up all the necessary signs for the audience. La Vie en Rose's director was brillian in how he chose to tell the story as he uses the memories of a dying woman who looks back at all the significant moments of her tragic and complex life. How all her signature songs are used reminds me of Julie Tamor's biopic of Frida Kahlo.
5
The "Little Sparrow" soars and shows us how
by veni?vidi
Marion Cotillard, whoever the real she is, died and reincarnated as Piaf, seamlessly, utterly, flawlessly. Piaf's life, from the underbelly of Paris some 90 years ago to the pinnacle of celebrity in Europe and the Americas, had all the dramatic highs and lows of the most retellable tales ? squalor/cosmoplitan high life, poverty/security, blindness/sight, abandonment/companionship, adoption/rejection, escape/recidivism, addiction/recovery, anonymity/discovery, success/failure, hope/despair, delivery/burial, aspiration/resignation, getting/losing
and through it all, friendship, sex, love, and belonging ? her motive and her goal was love. Cotillard brought back the person behind the legend and gave us all the chance to see the horror of her life through the same rose-colored glass as she, so that at the end of the battle, we too can cry out with absolute confidence, "No, I have no regrets, none at all." ?rpcastle
5
Amazing Music; Phenomenal Acting by tahiblue
Go see it for Marion Cotillard's unbelievable performance. And the music is absolutely lovely. You will be transported to her time and her life. Really worth seeing !
4
Superb Cotillard Makes "La Vie" by artouthere
I was so happy to find this film playing in a city that art films often find no home in that I ran out the first night to see it. I was not disappointed. Fans of Edith Piaf will cherish this very non-American bio-pic of her life.
On the other hand, not a good date movie. I overheard one young woman saying to her escort, "Sorry....!" He responded, "Well, it was unique."
Marion Cotillard deserves all the acclaim she has received for this role. She absoultely inhabits it. I was reminded so poignantly at times of the parallels between Piaf and Judy Garland, especially during the on-stage and backstage scenes.
If your city, like mine, needs more of these films, see it to support them.
5
Cotillard Deserves an Oscar by The_AFI_Is_Nuts
Although the movie was a bit disjointed given all the time flips, and was at times hard to follow for those who are not intimately familiar with Piaf's life, this is a must see. It is well filmed, well written, and most of all well acted. Marion Cotillard's performance is a tour de force. She takes command of the screen like few actresses I have seen. You barely recognize that the movie is well over 2 hours, and at the end you are both drained from the roller coaster ride that was Piaf's life, and lifted by the perfect timing of Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (although the translation of the song was questionable). Just as with Piaf and her life, you will not regret a moment of the time you spend at this movie.
5
Cotillard carries this film to legend status by sezg
The acting was superb, the directing was innovative and beautiful, the soundtrack was filled with deliciously creative variations on Piaf's songs. My only problem with this film was that the script was so-so. All other movie making elements pulled it through, however, including the insanely riveting performance of Cotillard. I heard an interview on NPR with Piaf's childhood friend (Momone in the film). She said "I've seen the movie 8 times. Cotillard doesn't ACT like Edith; she IS Edith." All in all, it is a thoroughly engaging, moving, artistic experience into the depths on an idiosyncratic, beloved, heartfelt sparrow's life. The only movie I've ever seen on opening weekend and well worth the status.
5
Marion Cotillard is AMAZING! by LongBeachFan
This film will haunt you for days afterwards.....many American films don't stick with you like this one will. Cotillard is mesmerizing in her performance as Piaf. Her transformation from street waif to an embattled, addicted adult bent over with arthritis will stay in my mind for a long time to come. Of course, the music is superb (how can it not be!)....the rest of the cast is excellent as well. The director uses flash-backs and dream-like sequences to create a most unique and powerful vision of "The Little Sparrow." GO SEE THIS FILM!
5
La Vie En Rose by jaynelson
Best movie I have seen all year. I had the honor of enjoying a live performance of Piaf not too long before she died. This portrayal of "The Little Sparrow" was more than excellent. This biographical drama was very much true to life and includes much of the childhood that formed Piaf into the great personality and performer that she became. The cinematography was choppy in some places, but did not distract from the overall greatness of the film. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in great music and over-the-wall talent.
5
The Little Sparrow with a Big Voice. by Afternoon Movie Lover
Tears streaming down my cheeks during her last number I vowed to see this movie again. I think that those of us who are familiar with Edith Piaf can appreciate the movie even more. Fantastic. Stellar performance by the leading actress, I hope we see more of her in the future. Definitely not one of those "uplifting" films but it opens your mind and heart as to how France's "Little Sparrow" was such a success and could bestow such feeling into song.