B

A rather conventional biopic, but still rather tantalising and interesting. Don't really like how Coco was portrayed in this film, she seemed too detached from reality.

While Audrey Tatou is great as Gabrielle Chanel here, Coco avant Chanel has trouble setting out what it wanted to accomplish. While her time with Étienne (Benoît Poelvoorde) is important to keep with the plot, it should not have taken up a good two-thrids of the whole film. There is not much time given to explore Gabrielle's fashion talent as during her time with Étienne, the matter is only brought up at brief times, most of which are only her opinion on how others dress. Once she's in Paris however, the film shows a bit more promise but the time she is in Paris is basically the last 15-20 minutes of the film. With an ending that explains her future life, the film should of explored those angles more. The romance angle between Gabrielle and "Boy" (Alessandro Nivola) is good enough though the ending of the relationship can be seen a good bit ahead of time. The supporting cast is ok and the costume design is beautiful. The lack of plot development however is what really brings the film down. **

I thought it was a solid film. Definitely well-made.

7/10 ( B )