coco avant chanel

Before I watched the movie, I had expectations about how it would be completely based on fashion, sort of like a documentary of Coco Chanel creating her empire. The movie however, is more about how young Gabrielle Chanel (played by Audrey Tautou) earns the nickname of "Coco" than it is about her later life when she actually designs her clothes. It's really about her struggle to succeed and free herself from the confusing relationships in her life in order to become who she wants to be.

It's extremely romantic, colourful, and sad. And although the ending seems slightly abrupt, it seems logical once you remember the story is true. After all, not all stories can be neatly wrapped up under two hours, especially when they are based on real life. I love Coco Chanel even more after watching this movie, because her spirit is so strong, determined, and entirely feminist (so as to not crush my dreams, let's just pretend it was an entirely accurate depiction of Coco Chanel even if it wasn't, ok?)

Normally I have my "go to" movies that I will never get sick of, that I usually watch when I'm in certain moods. These movies include Sex and the City, The Devil Wears Prada, and He's Just Not That Into You. I'm happy to announce that I will most definitely be adding Coco Avant Chanel to that mix.

Please do me a favour though and watch this movie for the first time when
a) You are alone
b) You aren't in a good mood (you don't necessarily have to be in a BAD mood, but don't be happy when watching it for the first time)
c) You aren't shoving your face full of popcorn
d) You have a computer nearby to research Coco Chanel's life after you watch the movie. Trust me, you'll want to!

Alright, I'm done. It's fantastic, go out and rent it...enough said.