La Vie en Rose
Grade: B+

Even if you think you’ve had it with biopics about musicians who escape squalid childhoods to become rich and famous substance abusers, you should give this portrait of French singer Edith Piaf a whirl for the great tunes and Marion Cotillard’s powerhouse performance. In nonchronological sequence writer/director Olivier Dahan depicts Piaf’s career highlights and the tumultuous lifestyle that led to her early death, concluding that her love for the bottle and the needle forever thwarted her search for romantic love. The lavish concert halls and the Parisian fashions provide delicious eye candy. Still, a more concise editing job would have trimmed a welcome 30 minutes off this long and exhausting saga.
Opens June 8th in limited release.