--- title: "La Vie en Rose: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/la-vie-en-rose/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/la-vie-en-rose" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 14 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." --- # La Vie en Rose (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 14 reviews: 6 positive, 6 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics agree on one thing: Marion Cotillard. Nearly every review, whether favourable or not, singles out her performance as the reason to watch, and several say she stops seeming like an actress playing Piaf at all. The positive reviews also credit the lavish production and the film’s willingness to match its subject’s excess with a theatrical energy of its own. The reservations gather around structure. The film moves back and forth across Piaf’s life, and many critics find the result muddled, overstuffed and short on insight into who she was. The spread is wide: some call it moving and compassionate, others pedestrian or shapeless, and the mixed verdicts equal the positive ones. The New Yorker’s Judith Thurman finds a pedestrian saga around a strong central performance, and Time Out’s Trevor Johnston goes further, suggesting a life this dramatic never needed a biopic in the first place. ## Variety — Lisa Nesselson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2007. Festival review. Nesselson recommends the involving, impressively mounted biopic and finds its portrait of Piaf rich and emotionally compelling. She especially praises Marion Cotillard’s transformative, affecting performance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/la-vie-en-rose-4-1200510519/) ## Slant Magazine — Dan Callahan Rating 3.5/4. 1 May 2007. Callahan praises the film as an intuitive, theatrical biopic that captures Piaf’s tumultuous life with gusto. He singles out Marion Cotillard’s extravagant, convincingly embodied performance as its chief strength. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/la-vie-en-rose/) ## IndieWire — Kristi Mitsuda Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2007. Mitsuda finds the film an enlivening, unconventional portrait of Piaf. She especially praises Marion Cotillard’s performance for making the film’s shifting periods feel cohesive. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-grand-dame-olivier-dahans-la-vie-en-rose-74456/) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2007. Mackie finds the film emotionally excessive and poorly structured, but ultimately feels it does justice to Piaf. He singles out Marion Cotillard’s charismatic performance and the film’s lavish production values for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/nov/30/dvdreviews.worldcinema) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 June 2007. The review is broadly positive about the film. It singles out Marion Cotillard’s performance as its central strength. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/movies/08vie.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The page appears to be a review of the specified film, but its verdict cannot be determined from the blocked content. No praise or complaint is visible to summarize. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/la-vie-en-rose-2007) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2007. Festival review. The review text is behind a paywall, so its verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or criticism is visible in the accessible page. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/la-vie-en-rose-la-mome/4030770.article) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 22 June 2007. The critic finds the biopic muddled and overstuffed, despite its fascinating subject. Marion Cotillard’s performance is singled out as a vibrant, uncannily accurate portrayal of Piaf. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/la-vie-en-rose-review/) ## Empire — Anna Smith Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2007. Smith finds the biopic entertaining, led by Marion Cotillard’s passionate and unshowy performance. She criticizes its fragmented structure and says it offers too little insight into Piaf’s character. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/la-vie-en-rose-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 7 February 2007. Festival review. Honeycutt finds the film showy, scattered and emotionally excessive, though its fervent approach may connect with audiences. He particularly praises Marion Cotillard’s brave, transformative performance as Piaf. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/la-vie-en-rose-159423/) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Rating C-. 8 June 2007. Rabin finds the film bloated, shapeless, and ultimately without lasting insight. He praises Marion Cotillard’s expressive face and the film’s depiction of pop stardom, but says its portrayal of Piaf becomes grating. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/la-vie-en-rose-1798202734) ## Time Out — Trevor Johnston Rating 2/5. 18 June 2007. Johnston suggests Piaf’s life was already so cinematic that a biopic was unnecessary. The available description highlights her extraordinary rise from poverty, but gives no further specific praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/la-vie-en-rose-1) ## The New Yorker — Judith Thurman Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 2007. Thurman finds the film a pedestrian saga despite its strong central performance. She especially praises Marion Cotillard, whose portrayal nearly convinces her she is watching Piaf herself. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/06/25/french-blues) ## Eye for Film — Max Blinkhorn Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 2007. Blinkhorn gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, calling it a moving and compassionate portrait of Piaf. He especially praises Marion Cotillard’s performance and the way the film captures Piaf’s spirit. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/la-vie-en-rose-film-review-by-max-blinkhorn) --- © 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/la-vie-en-rose.md