Aline

It has been a long time since I had so much good simple fun watching a film. Aline is the story of a simple nice girl who is catapulted into fame and riches, thanks to her voice, her hard work, her determination, her capacity to endure pressure, her astute manager and later husband, and her dedicated mother. From the get-go, we are warned that artistic licence has been taken to inject humoristic elements into the narrative. So, instead of a stale documentary about Céline Dion, we are entertained with a funny biography of fictional Aline Dieu. Unless secondary humour eludes you, you are bound to have a good time. I give high marks to this film, not for its cinematography that is well conducted but not exceptional, but for its skilfulness to elicit positive feelings about the heroin. You will never think the same way about Céline after watching Aline, you might even love her.

Greetings again from the darkness. Ana Gasteyer's "Saturday Night Live" parody of Celine Dion not-so-humbly announcing herself as "the greatest singer in the world" was brilliant sketch comedy and good for a hearty laugh. All these years later, filmmaker Valerie Lemercier cast herself as the lead in this unofficial biopic "inspired by" the story of Celine Dion. It's a fictionalized account co-written with Brigitte Buc that sticks to the real story in some parts, while also being a bit creepy and serving up a quasi-horror film sensation in others. You might ask, "How can the story of Celine Dion" have anything to do with horror?", and well the answer is that Ms. Lemercier (a woman in her 50's), plays the fictionally named Aline Dieu at ALL ages (thanks to some CGI). Seeing that face on the young girl peering up at her family on stage is as creepy and discomforting as any screen image we will see this year.

It's no accident that Lemercier's character is named Dieu, which is French for God. She clearly worships the real Ms. Dion, and this is intended as a loving tribute to the singer. Aline Dieu is the 14th child born into a French-Canadian family. Many of the family members perform as a singing act ... think The Osmonds or the Cowsills, and Aline is still young when her amazing vocal talent is discovered and becomes a featured part of the performances. Her headstrong mother, Sylvette Dieu (played by Danielle Fichaud), is very protective of her youngest child and is involved as the family contacts a well-known talent manager named Guy-Claude Kamar (Sylvain Marcel).

Aline becomes a teenage singing sensation, and of course, later becomes an international icon, especially after singing the TITANIC (1997) song, "My Heart Will Go On". The film tracks the meteoric rise of her career, but as in real life, much of the focus is on the relationship between Aline and Guy-Claude (obviously the stand-in for Rene Angelil). They first met when she was 12, and despite the 26-year age gap, a love developed that resulted in marriage years later (when she was of legal age). Aline's mother's reaction to this relationship was disgust - in a funny kind of way. She felt her princess deserved better than "an old prune". We also learn of Aline's vocal cord scare, the couple's initial struggles to have kids, and how he focused on the business side to protect her ... a cause he remained devoted to because of his heart condition. A big part of this was the infamous Las Vegas residency, which has since been copied by many artists.

Despite the success and brilliant artistry, there is a certain sadness to a woman who seemed quite isolated from everything but her family. This point is driven home when she admits to never have seen the city where she's been performing, and the fact that she seems to have no friends outside of her makeup artist Fred (Jean-Noel Broute). Ms. Lemercier does a fine job capturing the various looks and style over the years, and her movements on stage are spot on. She lip-syncs to the familiar songs ... sung not by Celine, but rather Victoria Sio. The movie will likely work best for fans of Celine Dion, while others may not recover from the Act I creep factor.

Opening in theaters on April 8, 2022.

I have always been a big fan of Celine Dion. I really admire someone who is blessed with such a wonderful voice and works hard to train it. I was extremely excited about this movie, and I was not disappointed! If you like Celine, this is a great movie to see.

I have been a fan of Celine Dion since her first hits and growing up in Montreal followed her career.

This movie is not a serious movie. It is however a movie that shows how amazing her story is. The humor reminded me of an old show La Famille Plouffe. The love story between Celine and Renee was carried off well.

I loved that they used some of the songs that made her a star.

They really "got" life in Quebec.

I loved the movie so much I tried to watch it in English and couldn't it was so bad.

Sure there were some decisions that were odd ( ie using Valerie Lemericier's face on a young girl) however when you look at it for what it is a creative endeavor it was a good decision because of her look and her voice. When I tried to watch it in English the young girl playing Celine although a good singer in no way captured Celine Dion the way Ms Lermercier did. The end song is amazing. Watch Aline in French but don't waste your time with Celine in english.

This is an entertaining light tribute to a superstar.

I am not a Celine Dion fan as such, but I have seen enough material (concerts, interviews) to know that this movie is really well done. Especially the two leading characters that does an amazing job portraying Celine and her husband through time.

The movie dies not try to be a biography, and is BASED on Celine Dions life. It flirts with all the things that are publicly known, the love story, the huge family she grew up in, becoming an adult, becoming a star, becoming a mother, becoming a widow.

I found Valerie Lemercier to do a mesmerising job portraying Celine in different stages of her life, by really capturing the soul of her psychical presence.

Many critics seem to miss the point, that not all stars are crazy drug addicts, but that there is also more balanced people in the entertainment business, just doing what they love being supported by other good people. Thats not boring, thats inspiring.

Again, the viewer needs to accept, that this film is not a biopic, and just enjoy what is very tightly based on the highlights of a living stars career and life.

It never goes into intimate detail, but is a very enjoyable and well executed film. A love letter to a kind soul, and the power of good people.