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COCO BEFORE CHANELMovie Reviews
French biographical drama about Coco Chanel's rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world. Cast:Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos, Alessandro NivolaDirector:Anne FontaineRelease Date:September 25, 2009DVD Release:February 16, 2010From:Sony ClassicsRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 45 min.
FEBRUARY 16, 2010
Coco Before Chanel, Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Coco Before Chanel played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Andrew Sardone wrote in the Toronto Now, "...draws a strong performance from Tautou..." • And Shawn Levy wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "Tautou is, as ever, radiant and deep and affecting, but a film about such an extraordinary personage as Chanel shouldn't feel so ordinary and wan." More Reviews Below...
Coco Before Chanel Positive Reviews (40 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: WEAK(cg) "...a lifeless, French-language drama, which tells of Coco Chanel's early predesigner years.... It's her later years that were fascinating; that's the movie I want to see."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 89 words, 09/24/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...dreamiest when director Anne Fontaine -- working through muse Audrey Tautou -- views the world through young Coco's eyes, literally."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 256 words, 09/25/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...only starts to get interesting when she asserts her creative and financial freedom - and that's right when the movie's about to end."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 09/24/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fascinating snapshot of a pivotal chapter for Chanel, her formative fashionista years.... quite beautifully woven, like a classic Chanel tweed."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 445 words, 09/25/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...an unusually vivid and convincing account of the historical past... a fascination, at once intense and dispassionate, with the lives of women in earlier centuries."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 889 words, 09/25/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "...a superior filmed biography that brings intelligence, restraint and style to what could have been a more standard treatment."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 09/25/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...neither an affecting romance nor an inspiring success story. Chanel sold herself to one guy, happened to get customers through him, and took a start-up loan from another..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 09/25/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "As picturesque period biopics with too many symmetrical compositions go, Anne Fontaine's 'Coco Before Chanel' is surprisingly intimate and nuanced."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 164 words, 09/21/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "The cast is superb, not least Audrey Tautou... She's a consistent delight to watch for the simple reason that she herself is so consistently watchful."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 794 words, 10/02/09
Andrew Sardone, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...draws a strong performance from Tautou, who's simultaneously insolent, endearing and painfully chic in her tailored tweeds and little black dresses..."(See all of Andrew Sardone's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 235 words, 10/01/09
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Tautou finds her ideal role, playing a woman whose direct gaze took in and understood everything..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 538 words, 10/09/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a thin film in many respects, but not in Tautou's full portrayal of a complex woman. (Benoit Poelvoorde also is quite good, making the often boorish Balsan sympathetic.)"(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 10/23/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...you know they're out of ideas when all Tautou does is walk and look around, then walk and look around some more. It's as if she's window-shopping for another movie."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 838 words, 10/02/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Despite inspired moments and a penetrating performance by Audrey Tautou, the Coco Chanel biopic is mostly surface glitter."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 10/16/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Tautou is the perfect person to play Coco Chanel.... Director Anne Fontaine has done a very clever thing. She made a biopic without too much bio."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 10/30/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "Tautou is, as ever, radiant and deep and affecting, but a film about such an extraordinary personage as Chanel shouldn't feel so ordinary and wan."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 177 words, 10/23/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...biography of the world's most influential designer devolves into a fuzzy love triangle that's like a distracting ornament on a business suit."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 363 words, 11/06/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...patiently paints its portrait of the iconic Chanel, focusing on her stoic, mercenary resolve, allowing only one brief respite of romance."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 11/20/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "Although technically a biopic based on a nonfiction book by Edmonde Charles-Roux, 'Coco Before Chanel' plays more like an engrossing, classy period piece."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 10/23/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...elegantly crafted, fluid entertainment.... a vivid portrait of a woman of a particular time nudging that moment -- not just fashion -- forward."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 10/16/09
Alicia Potter, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Although the visuals and the score are often elegant, the sudsy drama and muddled ironies of a complicated love life (Alessandro Nivola shows up) wear badly..."(See all of Alicia Potter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 166 words, 10/01/09
Andrew Sardone, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...draws a strong performance from Tautou, who's simultaneously insolent, endearing and painfully chic in her tailored tweeds and little black dresses..."(See all of Andrew Sardone's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 235 words, 10/01/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...an unusually vivid and convincing account of the historical past... a fascination, at once intense and dispassionate, with the lives of women in earlier centuries."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 889 words, 09/25/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...smart and sumptuous French-language account of the legendary designer during her early years when she, like her couture, was still ascending from basse to haute."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 09/25/09
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: FAIR "...the adamantine hardness of Chanel is probably beyond an actress as winsome as Tautou.... As with Tautou, so with the movie, it is undriven, indulgent..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,265 words, 09/21/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a superior filmed biography that brings intelligence, restraint and style to what could have been a more standard treatment."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 09/25/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Jordan Mintzer, Daily Variety: GOOD "Tautou's perf is one of her finest to date, revealing her character's headstrong personality through smart delivery and a permanent but attractive pout."(See all of Jordan Mintzer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 673 words, 04/27/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a superior filmed biography that brings intelligence, restraint and style to what could have been a more standard treatment."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 09/25/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...an unusually vivid and convincing account of the historical past... a fascination, at once intense and dispassionate, with the lives of women in earlier centuries."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 889 words, 09/25/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...smart and sumptuous French-language account of the legendary designer during her early years when she, like her couture, was still ascending from basse to haute."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 09/25/09
20.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Coco Before Chanel's reviews are separated by an average 20.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Coco Before Chanel (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Coco Before Chanel's reviews cover 82.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,747 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 494 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 61.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Coco Before Chanel's reviews on average broke 61.5 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Coco Before Chanel's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Coco Before Chanel (40 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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