As attractive as a name like Chanel is, this adaptation of her life to the big screen is not. Bringing some good actors is not enough to make a project shine, and this work clearly depicts the desire to spend money just to pay respect. Thoug I’m a fan of Audrey Tautou, I was having a hard time looking at the stiff, bitter look on her face that she kept 90% of the time. Only when Coco and Boy Capel were together she smiled and changed the mood completely.

While Étiene Balsan (played by Benoit Poelvoorde) seems to be supeficially interested in Coco, he´s the one providing the means for her to leave her job and moving on to know the life of France´s rich and famous. Étiene expresses his sincere love for Coco, but he finds her heart already taken by Arthur Capel (played by Alessandro Nivola); Étiene is no match for him.

Coco Chanel’s biography mentions her having more than two lovers, nevertheless she ends up with none, and dedicates her life to her designs.

See the trailer for Coco before Chanel: