The face of five-year-old Aline looks weirdly mature and toothy as she crawls from under a table at a family wedding to belt out a song early in the film of the same name. French comedian and actress Valérie Lemercier, 58, wrote, directed and stars in Aline and it’s her head on a body altered by special effects in that scene. Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films open the “fiction freely inspired by the life of Céline Dion” in the U.S. this weekend.
Lemercier, a big star in France, won Best Actress at the César Awards in February for the film, where she lends the Canadian-born pop idol a Kristen Wiig-ish vibe. Aline premiered out of competition in Cannes last year. The U.S. release was pushed from an initial date in January.
The story follows Aline Dieu, the youngest of a hardworking, musical French-Canadian couple’s 14 children — a kind of bigger,...
Lemercier, a big star in France, won Best Actress at the César Awards in February for the film, where she lends the Canadian-born pop idol a Kristen Wiig-ish vibe. Aline premiered out of competition in Cannes last year. The U.S. release was pushed from an initial date in January.
The story follows Aline Dieu, the youngest of a hardworking, musical French-Canadian couple’s 14 children — a kind of bigger,...
- 4/8/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s nothing as tired as the Hollywood biopic, but “Aline” is no conventional biopic. While the film makes no effort to hide that it is inspired by the life of Celine Dion, the greatest singer since Barbra Streisand and pride and joy of Quebec, there is a very thin layer of distance between the film’s events and Dion’s life. Though it can sometimes read like a Wikipedia entry, the effort by writer, director, and star Valérie Lemercier to fictionalize as much as possible can be chalked up to one thing — respect.
Renaming the singer Aline Dieu and playing the character herself, Lemercier grounds the larger-than-life diva with a down-home quirkiness that feels true to life, even if we don’t know how true it is.
“Aline” begins its rags-to-riches tale in the Quebec countryside, where a working class young couple falls in love over their shared love of music.
Renaming the singer Aline Dieu and playing the character herself, Lemercier grounds the larger-than-life diva with a down-home quirkiness that feels true to life, even if we don’t know how true it is.
“Aline” begins its rags-to-riches tale in the Quebec countryside, where a working class young couple falls in love over their shared love of music.
- 4/7/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
"Aline" is a movie all about a Canadian teenage singer named Aline Dieu who becomes a worldwide singing sensation. If that sounds a lot like Celine Dion's story, it's because the movie, written and directed by the French actress Valérie Lemercier, is a fictionalized dramatization of Dion's life starring Lemercier as the legendary singer and performer. "Aline" journeys through Dieu's life, from her early beginnings as a singer during her teenage years in Quebec to her international stardom throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Dion's voice is incredibly unique, and the biopic effortlessly highlights her vocal style and transformation through the film. The question is, is Lemercier really singing in "Aline"? The real singing voice behind Aline Dieu may surprise you!
Is Valérie Lemercier Really Singing Celine Dion's Songs in "Aline?"
While Valérie Lemercier does an incredible job embodying Dion's legacy, it is not actually her singing the songs in "Aline.
Is Valérie Lemercier Really Singing Celine Dion's Songs in "Aline?"
While Valérie Lemercier does an incredible job embodying Dion's legacy, it is not actually her singing the songs in "Aline.
- 4/6/2022
- by Alicia Geigel
- Popsugar.com
Part fan-fiction, part cosplay, part “What if David Lynch and Amy Sedaris collaborated on a kinda-sorta biopic of Celine Dion,” “Aline” is like nothing you’ve ever seen. And more often than not, that’s a good thing.
Director-star Valérie Lemercier demonstrates a staggering amount of chutzpah in crafting a Celine Dion movie that renames the main character “Aline Dieu” and for taking on the role herself: The fifty-something filmmaker plays the title character from age 7 onward, and while she has a background as a comedian, she dares you not to take this story, or her performance, seriously.
In an era where recent Oscar wins for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “King Richard” means we’re looking at another decade of earnest biopics with grandstanding lead roles, Lemercier (who won a César for Best Actress) throws down the gauntlet with this weird and wonderful portrait of an artist.
Director-star Valérie Lemercier demonstrates a staggering amount of chutzpah in crafting a Celine Dion movie that renames the main character “Aline Dieu” and for taking on the role herself: The fifty-something filmmaker plays the title character from age 7 onward, and while she has a background as a comedian, she dares you not to take this story, or her performance, seriously.
In an era where recent Oscar wins for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “King Richard” means we’re looking at another decade of earnest biopics with grandstanding lead roles, Lemercier (who won a César for Best Actress) throws down the gauntlet with this weird and wonderful portrait of an artist.
- 4/6/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
We’re just a few weeks away from the release of Aline, where French actress Valérie Lemercier plays a thinly veiled version of Celine Dion named Aline Dieu from the age of 5 to 50. That may sound like a batshit-crazy idea for a movie, but Lemercier (who also directs) is a true talent and the trailer has us captivated.
The focus of the movie is Dieu’s romantic partnership with her manager and the many obstacles placed in their way due to their vast age difference, mirroring Dion’s relationship...
The focus of the movie is Dieu’s romantic partnership with her manager and the many obstacles placed in their way due to their vast age difference, mirroring Dion’s relationship...
- 3/17/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
“Aline,” the biopic loosely based on French Canadian hitmaker Celine Dion, has been acquired by Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films for U.S. distribution. The critically acclaimed musical comedy-drama world premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It will be released theatrically in the U.S. in early 2022.
Lemercier, one of France’s most popular actors and stand-up comedians, directed, co-wrote (with Brigitte But) and stars in the film as Aline Dieu, a singing prodigy (who is meant to be Celine Dion) who grew up in 1960s Quebec surrounded by her tight-knit family of 13 siblings.
When a famous producer, Guy Claude (who is meant to be René Angélil), discovers Aline and her golden voice, he sets out to make her the world’s greatest singer. The crowd-pleasing film charts Aline’s life journey from her childhood through to her sudden rise as a global superstar, showing her impressive transformation.
Lemercier, one of France’s most popular actors and stand-up comedians, directed, co-wrote (with Brigitte But) and stars in the film as Aline Dieu, a singing prodigy (who is meant to be Celine Dion) who grew up in 1960s Quebec surrounded by her tight-knit family of 13 siblings.
When a famous producer, Guy Claude (who is meant to be René Angélil), discovers Aline and her golden voice, he sets out to make her the world’s greatest singer. The crowd-pleasing film charts Aline’s life journey from her childhood through to her sudden rise as a global superstar, showing her impressive transformation.
- 9/27/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
You know who does a really great Céline Dion? Kathy Griffin. Typically withering in her impressions, the comedian clearly has a soft spot for the vocal superstar. She gets the singer’s French-Canadian accent, the unconventional appeal of her open-book private life and that fabulously operatic body language — one hand gesturing toward heaven, the other beating her chest — cultivated over a career of projecting her emotions, like her voice, to the very back row.
If only French actor-director Valérie Lemercier embraced Dion’s inner diva, serving up a bit more humor in her fawning, French-language portrait of the titanic talent. Instead, she has made the cinematic equivalent of “easy listening” adult contemporary music: Easy-on-the-eyes, softer-still-on-the-brain “Aline” is an unabashedly corny homage to Dion and her highly publicized romance with producer-manager René Angélil, in which 57-year-old Lemercier insists on embodying the megastar — rechristened Aline Dieu — from age 12 to present.
It’s...
If only French actor-director Valérie Lemercier embraced Dion’s inner diva, serving up a bit more humor in her fawning, French-language portrait of the titanic talent. Instead, she has made the cinematic equivalent of “easy listening” adult contemporary music: Easy-on-the-eyes, softer-still-on-the-brain “Aline” is an unabashedly corny homage to Dion and her highly publicized romance with producer-manager René Angélil, in which 57-year-old Lemercier insists on embodying the megastar — rechristened Aline Dieu — from age 12 to present.
It’s...
- 7/14/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
As any Celine Dion fan will tell you, the Quebecois singer — also known as Canada’s National Treasure — is something of a comedian. Whether she’s remixing “My Heart Will Go On” with DJ Steve Aoki, using only her voice, or putting her own spin on “Baby Shark” in a “Carpool Karaoke” segment, Dion is hilarious. And so it’s only fitting that for her first major biopic, the legend was played by a comedian.
French comic actor, stand-up and director Valérie Lemercier was more than up to the task with the Gaumont-produced and distributed “Aline,” which she directs and stars in as Aline Dieu, a fictional character who is meant to be Dion.
The film — which received Dion’s blessing via the artist’s French manager — is based loosely on the “My Heart Will Go On” singer’s life, though Lemercier changed names and certain events so as...
French comic actor, stand-up and director Valérie Lemercier was more than up to the task with the Gaumont-produced and distributed “Aline,” which she directs and stars in as Aline Dieu, a fictional character who is meant to be Dion.
The film — which received Dion’s blessing via the artist’s French manager — is based loosely on the “My Heart Will Go On” singer’s life, though Lemercier changed names and certain events so as...
- 7/13/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
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