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Coco Before Chanel

Play trailer Poster for Coco Before Chanel PG-13 Released Nov 6, 2009 1h 50m Biography Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
63% Tomatometer 131 Reviews 57% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Young Coco Chanel (Audrey Tautou) works as a seamstress by day and a cabaret entertainer by night, then she meets a wealthy heir (Benoît Poelvoorde) and becomes his lover and fashion consultant. Tired of the flowery hats, tight corsets and yards of lace that define women's fashion, Coco uses her lover's clothing as a starting point to distill an elegant and sophisticated line of women's clothing that propels her to the top of Parisian haute couture.
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Coco Before Chanel

Coco Before Chanel

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Critics Consensus

Though it doesn't quite capture the complexity of its subject's life, Coco Avant Chanel remains a fascinating, appropriately lovely tribute.

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Critics Reviews

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Ed Koch The Atlantic Coco Before Chanel is not a great film, but it is a good one...the joy between Coco and Boy truly dominates the screen and gets your attention. Jan 17, 2018 Full Review Joe Williams St. Louis Post-Dispatch The thread connecting the ambitious girl to the acclaimed woman is enough to make us wish for a sequel titled Chanel No. 2. Rated: 2.5/4 Nov 5, 2009 Full Review Tom Long Detroit News The film is unfailingly funny. Rated: B Oct 23, 2009 Full Review Jason Best Movie Talk Anne Fontaine's lavish biopic goes back to Chanel's early years to show how, before she invented the century - by revolutionising fashion - she first invented herself. Nov 23, 2020 Full Review Felicia Feaster Charleston City Paper In the end, Coco Before Chanel's woman-before-the-mogul biography is more respectable than rousing, an enlightening but hardly ground-moving tribute to a fashion modernist. Jan 23, 2020 Full Review Nikki Baughan Roll Credits Like Coco's designs, Coco Before Chanel won't appeal to everyone, but for those who fall under it's charms it will prove to be a near-perfect fit. Rated: 4/5 Oct 30, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Audrey’s performance in the movie is amazing! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/25 Full Review D T I loved this movie!! Just watched on the plane home from Paris, thus it caught my eye. Very thoughtfully and beautifully filmed. The story line is real. Life is not a bed of roses and surely wasn't for Coco but seeing her rise to great heights because of her stubbornness, uniqueness and perseverance is heartwarming! Coco was a surviver and OH so talented. I only wish it had been longer. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/12/24 Full Review 貴大 中 Actually I stopped watching this movie in just around 1 hour. It’s not bad, but it was not what I expected. I felt there was so many thing unnatural. I know this is depend on autobiography . but autobiology is not a 100% real because it depend on the only one point of view. This movie represent the that truth Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/03/24 Full Review nani j Coco Before Chanel is one of the best movies I have ever watched. If you are like me and like a good romance movie, whilst also having a passion and love for fashion & for Coco herself, I would 1000% recommend tuning in for this film. The emotions you experience throughout this movie are like no other. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/17/23 Full Review Ashley H not extremely exciting, but not too bad. wouldn't watch it again though. but worth watching it once, just to know the history. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/30/23 Full Review isla s I enjoyed this film in terms of the plot and the dialogue - Coco is a quite thoughtful person, an ambitious woman who I admire. As a period drama its reasonably good, with some impressive costumes and settings. It may be a little lsow moving, plot wise, for some people - its certainly not an action packed or constantly drama filled film but as I say, its somewhat thought provoking, perhaps a bit deep in a way, with the titular character questioning why things in society are, how they are. Seeing her frustrations, I felt sorry for her at times and I'd say that Audrey Tatou gives a perfectly decent performance but its not the sort of biopic film I'd be entirely keen to re-watch. Its certainly not a bad film but its not one of the most memorable either, hence my rating. If your interested in the story this film depicts or your a fan of Tatou, then I'd say that yes, I'd recommend it, otherwise perhaps not. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Coco Before Chanel

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Cast & Crew

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Anne Fontaine

Director

Audrey Tautou

Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel

Benoît Poelvoorde

Étienne Balsan

Alessandro Nivola

Arthur 'Boy' Capel

Marie Gillain

Adrienne Chanel

Emmanuelle Devos

Emilienne d'Alençon

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Coco Before Chanel

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Movie Info

Synopsis Young Coco Chanel (Audrey Tautou) works as a seamstress by day and a cabaret entertainer by night, then she meets a wealthy heir (Benoît Poelvoorde) and becomes his lover and fashion consultant. Tired of the flowery hats, tight corsets and yards of lace that define women's fashion, Coco uses her lover's clothing as a starting point to distill an elegant and sophisticated line of women's clothing that propels her to the top of Parisian haute couture.
Director
Anne Fontaine
Producer
Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta, Philippe Carcassonne, Simon Arnal
Screenwriter
Anne Fontaine, Camille Fontaine, Edmonde Charles-Roux
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Ciné@, Haut et Court, France 2 Cinéma, Warner Bros. Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Smoking|Sexual Content)
Genre
Biography, Comedy, Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 6, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.1M
Runtime
1h 50m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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