In this sumptuously scored biopic about the life of Edith Piaf, Marion Cotillard (A Very Good Year) makes an impressive turn as France’s beloved singer. Director Olivier Dahan stays faithful to the known facts of Piaf’s life—her poverty-stricken upbringing, her drug abuse and alcoholism, her love affairs—but it is presented as a disjointed series of events that often skips from her childhood to the height of her career to her death bed. This fractured story structure will likely confuse those unacquainted with the singer’s life. Dahan also expects the viewer to know a fairly good deal about the people in Piaf’s life, as characters go in and out of the film with no introduction. But the singing sequences and concert performances are quite memorable, and La Vie En Rose does adequately convey why Piaf’s records continue to sell today.

Shelf Talk: The most obvious target audience will be Piaf fans, who will enjoy how the 'Little Sparrow’ is depicted on screen. La Vie En Rose also received much attention at several film festivals, including a Golden Berlin Bear nomination, and positive response from critics, which most likely helped its healthy $10 million box office.