Loved it, but couldn't help but feel Keira Knightley ended up carrying the film solely on her shoulders. Could've been more~~

Going to see this tonight was honestly a bit of a dart-throw. It happened to be one of the films at the local cinema, starting shortly after the time when we said, "Hey, let's go see a movie." Sometimes, choosing a picture at random works out nicely. _Colette_ is a nice ride. I can't speak to its biographical accuracy, but it only drags a bit near the end. For most of the runtime, it's a pretty riveting film. Going in, I knew it was 111 minutes long, but it didn't feel so. Keira Knightley's performance kept me interested, and many of the supporting cast earned my attention as well (particularly Denise Gough and Dominic West—though really, they were the only ones with very much to do). From a technical perspective, I do have one burning question for Mr. Wash Westmoreland: These characters write novels in French, read newspapers in French, and reside in France. Yet, they all speak in English, with UK slang. Why? Not since Sir Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Jean-Luc Picard (_Star Trek: The Next Generation_ and subsequent films) ) have I been so puzzled by a supposedly French character. And in this film, _every_ character puzzles me in that way. The screenplay is the only other item I really feel like addressing. It's not bad—obviously, it kept me interested—but it didn't stand out either. Right from the start, the message is obvious. There's no question what the movie is building up to. We know what's coming pretty much as soon as Gabrielle and Willy get married. It's obvious. That doesn't make it any less satisfying; just unsurprising. I definitely enjoyed this one. It was worth going to see _Colette_. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but it sure ain't trash either.

What could be more exciting than a biopic about a controversial female writer which includes bisexuality, feminism and transsexuality? Sadly, not this film. _Colette_, starring a competent Keira Knightley, takes all the fascinating aspects of the early years of France's most famous female writer and glosses over them in a terribly generic way. If you had sex with this _Colette_ movie, it would be in the missionary position with the lights out and without one gasp of pleasure or drop of sweat. _Colette_, a film about a French icon filmed entirely in English, is a watered down absinthe served in a neighborhood pub where they don't really serve absinthe. The good news is, I'm the only critic who feels this way about this one, so if you're at all interested in this film please see it and feel free to mock me incessantly.

I’m ashamed to say that even with a honours undergrad degree in Literature and Theatre, I only had a dim recollection that there was a Colette in French literature. So, in many ways, this was an introduction to her. I’m sure that those steeped in her works might feel it glossed over her achievements or her talent, but for my novice exposure it was a solid base line. Keira Knightley played the scope of her ages well and Dominic West was convincing as a man who revelled in being the icon of an age no matter the cost to others. Today, he would have been seen as a pedophile, taking Colette in her early adolescent and recreating the experience with the girls who identified as the schoolgirl Claudine. I give this film an 8 (very good) out of 10. [Historical Drama]

I really liked _Colette_, which was also based on true events. It's about the French novelist Colette (Keira Knightley) who in the early 1900s was forced to write by her controlling husband, who took credit for her work. Her journey from a humble background to being an author and so on, as well as how she changed as a person was really quite fascinating.