--- title: "Coco Before Chanel: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/coco-before-chanel/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/coco-before-chanel" critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Coco Before Chanel (2009): what the critics said Critics' score 56 from 13 reviews: 5 positive, 4 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews split almost evenly, and the one thing nearly everyone agrees on is Audrey Tautou. Critics on both sides praise her Chanel as cool, steely and unshowy, even in reviews that dislike the film around her. The costumes and production design draw steady approval too, with several reviewers admiring the small, carefully observed details of a style taking shape. Admirers call it intelligent and restrained, a biography that avoids the usual clichés. Those who do not find the restraint indistinguishable from dullness. The pace is the most common complaint: sluggish, languid, too gentle to carry a woman of Chanel’s force. A related objection is that the film softens its subject and keeps the designing to the final stretch, so the clothes arrive as the story ends. The spread is wide, from warm to scathing. Anthony Lane in The New Yorker is alone in doubting Tautou’s casting, while IndieWire’s Michael Koresky looks past her to Emmanuelle Devos as the film’s one spontaneous presence. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 2009. Turan calls the film a superior, satisfying biography, praising its intelligence, restraint, and style. He singles out Audrey Tautou’s performance for embodying Chanel’s strength and determination. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-sep-25-et-coco25-story.html) ## Time Out — Nina Caplan Rating 4/5. 28 July 2009. The review gives the film four out of five stars. The available page text does not reveal what the critic praises or criticizes. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/coco-before-chanel-1) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Bernard Besserglik Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2009. The critic finds the film intelligent and engaging, praising its avoidance of biopic clichés and sentimentality. Audrey Tautou’s portrayal of Coco is singled out for fully inhabiting the character. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/coco-before-chanel-film-review-93064/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2009. Bradshaw finds the film worthwhile and well made, though its pace is sluggish. He praises Audrey Tautou’s cool, unshowy performance and Benoît Poelvoorde’s supporting turn. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/31/coco-before-chanel-review) ## Variety — Jordan Mintzer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2009. Mintzer finds the film more sentimental than chic but ultimately a convincing portrait of Chanel’s rise. He praises the visual design and Tautou’s performance, while noting that the later love-triangle drama feels forced. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/coco-before-chanel-1200474455/) ## Empire — Liz Moody Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2009. The review finds the film quietly thoughtful, though less complex than it might have been. It praises Tautou’s nuanced performance and the film’s elegant visual style. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/coco-chanel-review/) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The review finds the film visually sumptuous but a conventional, overly softened portrait of Chanel. It praises Audrey Tautou’s vulnerable performance while faulting the film for overlooking Chanel’s complexity and the sisters’ relationship. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/coco-before-chanel-is-pretty-as-a-picture-7415778.html) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 2/4. 21 September 2009. Schager finds the film respectful but bland and clichéd, lacking the daring associated with Chanel. He singles out Audrey Tautou’s portrayal of Coco’s steely resolve as a strength. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/coco-before-chanel/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2009. Lane finds the film graceful in places but too gentle and undriven to capture Chanel’s force. He praises its tactile visual details, while criticizing Audrey Tautou’s casting and the film’s languid pace. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/09/28/dressing-up-2) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2009. Tobias finds the biopic dull and too generic to explain what made Chanel distinctive. He praises Audrey Tautou’s subtle, intelligent performance, while lamenting that the film’s most vivid glimpse of Chanel at work comes only at the end. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/coco-before-chanel-1798207010) ## IndieWire — Michael Koresky Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2009. Koresky finds the film a conventional, superficial portrait that neglects Chanel’s emergence as a designer. He singles out Emmanuelle Devos’s spontaneous performance as a rare source of individuality amid the film’s stoicism. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-out-of-fashion-anne-fontaines-coco-before-chanel-246469/) ## Eye for Film — Val Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 22 July 2009. Kermode finds the film beautiful and admires Tautou’s performance, though its slow pace makes Coco’s frustration tedious to watch. She particularly praises the costumes and the film’s lovingly observed details of Chanel’s emerging style. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/coco-before-chanel-film-review-by-val-kermode) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2009. Reynolds finds the biopic cold and languid, with Coco remaining difficult to empathise with. He praises Tautou’s layered performance and the late-arriving exploration of Chanel’s clothing designs, while faulting the film for neglecting fashion for much of its running time. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a163731/coco-before-chanel/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/coco-before-chanel.md