The Unauthorised Life of Celine Dion

Reviewed by Hayden Demes

When Thérèse Tanguay found out that she was pregnant, she was talked out of having an abortion by her parish priest. The nearly aborted child became future megastar Céline Dion. This unauthorised biopic follows Céline from childhood to superstardom with the Titanic theme song, “My Heart Will Go On”.

As a child in Canada, Céline was passionate about becoming a singer, performing at her musically gifted family’s pub. On her way to stardom, there were lean periods. After initial pop success, her career came to a standstill. Manager René Angelil couldn’t book her a performance. Céline and René temporarily parted ways at the advice of Céline’s mother, who saw romantic complications. Today Céline and René are married.

Céline holds the viewer’s attention, even if one is not a Dion enthusiast. The film is a low budget effort, but it does feature some impressive performances. Jodelle Ferland, as a younger Céline, gives a pleasant performance. But one almost forgets about the “past” when the beautiful Christine Ghawi comes in, portraying Céline from a playful young adult to mature woman. Ghawi is not well known, but gives a stellar performance. Enrico Colantoni, of the TV show Veronica Mars, plays René Angelil. Colantoni inhabits his role with such conviction, showing the wickedness of “the business”. The stars of Céline may not be well-known, but they deliver fine performances.

The script seems to reflect the actual events accurately. Many viewers will be inspired by the rags-to-riches rise of one of the world’s biggest stars who had to take chances on her way to the top.