Aline: A Review of the Unofficial Celine Dion Biopic

Introduction

Dizzying and heartwarming, Aline pays homage to the love story of Celine Dion and her husband Rene. This is done through its barely fictionalized story of a French Canadian girl who grows up to become one of the most famous singers in the world.

The incredible Valerie Lemercier wrote, directed, and stars in the film as Aline Dieu. Her absolute devotion to the famous singer is very clear. Still, Aline is technically not an official biopic of Celine Dion. This is why everyone’s names are slightly tweaked. However, it’s impossible not to view it as such. Aline takes us on a very fast-paced ride through Aline/Celine’s entire life. Buckle up. 

Synopsis

Aline starts by taking us back – all the way back – to Aline’s parents’ childhoods. This is to establish their humble beginnings which are heavily contrasted by the end of the movie with their daughter’s success. This is hilariously demonstrated by three scenes in a row in which Aline and members of her family get lost in their newly bought mansions.

The Dieu couple gets married and instantly starts having multiple children. Aline is the final child in a long line of many Quebecois kids. All of this happens within minutes which sets the frenzied pace for Aline. That is how inexplicably fast everything unfolds in this film. There is no room to breathe which can be confusing at times. However, it’s fun in a midnight movie sort of way. 

Married record producer Guy-Claude hears Aline’s demo in a very charming scene where he meets with Aline and her family. He agrees to manage her career and in no time Aline is performing on French Canadian TV shows. When she becomes a teenager, she crushes on Guy-Claude. The sexual tension between the two only increases when she is in her early twenties, despite the 20 year age gape between the two.

The pair finally celebrates their love when Aline wins Eurovision. This happens so fast that you could blink and miss the fact that she competes in and wins the entire competition for Switzerland?! That never comes up, but it’s true and Celine Dion has since said that she has no idea why the Swiss chose her to represent them.

The next thing we all know, they are together and touring the world. The couple gets married and she becomes more and more famous. They do the whole Titanic thing in a flash, and before you know it we are in Las Vegas with her residency and her three children. Again, this all happens very fast and with very little conflict. 

Relationships

Viewers may come into this film thinking that they will learn more about Celine’s life and career via Aline’s life and career. However, the movie is much more heavily focused on the love affair between Aline and her manager-turned-husband Guy-Claude. Love is the overwhelming theme through the Dieu’s familial love to Aline and Guy-Claude’s relationship. Aline isn’t so much about Aline’s life and career as it is about the love that she had for her husband and family. 

Cast

The cast is notable in Aline. Valerie Lemercier delivers a stunning performance as Aline. Not only does she bear a striking resemblance to Celine Dion, but she has perfected Dion’s mannerisms. In one incredible scene, the newly married Aline is delighting the audience and host alike on a talk show with a funny story about her new husband. This is the first (and sadly only) time that we see the frenzied, wacky Aline/Celine that we know so well in real life.

Lemercier nails Celine’s energy and is endlessly charming throughout the film. Fascinatingly, the actress plays Aline from when she is a child to a full-grown adult which was admittedly bizarre. This is due to the fact that her face appears to have been put on the body of a child.

Sylvain Marcel plays Guy-Claude, her manager whom she is madly in love with even as a teenager. Marcel and Lemercier have incredibly believable chemistry as Aline becomes an adult. When the pair finally unite, it feels earned, despite the immense age difference. Aline does a very good job of dealing with their age difference and the objections that Aline’s family had to their initial attraction. 

Speaking of her family, the actress who plays Aline’s mother is another standout. Danielle Fichaud plays Sylvette Dieu so wonderfully that it’s hard not to believe that she is Celine Dion’s real mother. Dieu is hilarious as the doting, busy mother who winds up devoting all of her time and energy in getting Aline’s career off the ground. 

Conclusion

The pace and tempo of Aline are relentless and can be confusing. Yet, this is also what makes the film wickedly fun. It’s admittedly impossible to separate Aline Dieu from Celine Dion, which makes the film feel trippy throughout. Subsequently, it can thus be a struggle not to think of Aline as a biopic. This despite claiming to only be “freely inspired.” 

As a result, If you are not familiar with Celine Dion’s incredible life story, you might find yourself wanting to know more. Unfortunately, this movie will not provide additional details. It skims pretty speedily throughout her life, but it does so in a very positive way. 

With all of that in mind, however, Aline has an incredible heart and it’s clear that Valerie Lemercier has the utmost respect and admiration for the real Celine Dion. Aline is a love letter to Celine Dion – so much so that it can feel more like watching fan fiction than a legitimate biopic. This again despite claiming to only be freely inspired. The love story and the performances in this film are very much worth watching as is Lemercier’s total devotion to her diva. 

Aline is co-written, directed by and stars Valérie Lemercier. Co-starring is Roc Lafortune and Danielle Fichaud. The film premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, and will be released in the US on April 3, 2022.

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