Celine Dion Biopic ‘Aline’ Boggles Critics at Cannes With 57-Year-Old Playing Singer at Age 12
Forget sexy nuns or singing while performing cunnilingus. The weirdest new movie at Cannes might be “Aline,” an unofficial biopic of French-Canadian superstar Celine Dion that has critics in awe of its “kooky,” “truly weird” and “magnificent camp” approach.
Back in June we shared the first trailer for “Aline,” which because they couldn’t use Celine Dion’s name but decided to use her songs anyway, changed her name to Aline Dieu, which in French means “Aline God.” The trailer had people’s brains “short circuiting” online and went viral. But that oddity was just the tip of the iceberg.
“Aline” stars and is directed by Valérie Lemercier, and people who have now seen it at Cannes on Tuesday night reported the bizarre moment in which Lemercier, at age 57, for one scene portrays Dion, er, Aline, at age 12.
“Still reeling from the instantly legendary decision of 57-year-old ‘Aline’ director Valérie Lemercier to play Celine Dion at every age of her life, including age 12,” The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan wrote in a tweet. “You have not lived until you have seen this 57-year-old actress-director shrink herself down to Hobbjt size to play a pre-teen. This is beyond PEN15, beyond Martin Short in CLIFFORD, this is… cinema.”
Other critics who saw it described it as something of a Lifetime movie and conventional biopic but that was a lot of fun, and good enough to draw a crowd of Celine Dion superfans complete in leopard pants.
“Aline” is playing at the Cannes Film Festival out of competition, but the film also finally secured a theatrical release date after months of delay in French theaters on November 10, but it does not yet have a North American distributor.
See some of the online reaction to the film below, as well as a new clip from the film.
seated and ready for Aline, the movie about Celine Dion where they can’t call her Celine Dion so they call her “Aline Dieu,” which is French for “Aline God” pic.twitter.com/pDpNhA1YCC
— rachel handler (@rachel_handler) July 13, 2021
Aline was kooky as hell …. a truly weird delight. not ashamed to admit I shed a tear at the recreation of Titanic at the Oscars and also felt uncanny-valley horror upon realizing the lead actress, age 57, had shrunk herself to play an 8-year-old
— rachel handler (@rachel_handler) July 13, 2021
The image of a 57-year-old actor playing a 12-year-old Celine Dion in ALINE should be carved onto the side of the Cannes Palais
— Richard Lawson (@rilaws) July 13, 2021
Still reeling from the instantly legendary decision of 57-year-old ALINE director Valérie Lemercier to play Celine Dion at every age of her life, *including age 12*
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) July 13, 2021
You have not lived until you have seen this 57-year-old actress-director shrink herself down to Hobbjt size to play a pre-teen. This is beyond PEN15, beyond Martin Short in CLIFFORD, this is… cinema
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) July 13, 2021
I’ve seen the Celine Dion #Cannes2021 movie ‘Aline,’ and I will never be the same. It’s like if someone made the Wendy Williams Lifetime movie — but in French with lip syncing. They recreate the Titanic performance at the Oscars. Magnificent camp!
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) July 13, 2021
ALINE – Well, pretty much exactly what you want from pseudo-Céline biopic – over the top performances, melismatic tonal shifts, age-defying romances and loads of idiomatic Quebec nonsense. Larger than life, it's the stuff of a stage review, and fans may love the fun #cannes2012
— Jason Gorber @ #cannes2021 (@filmfest_ca) July 13, 2021