Aline provokes opposite reactions among the biggest Quebec fans of Céline Dion. This is what we observed after attending, Thursday evening, one of the first public screenings of Valérie Lemercier’s film, which is finally showing here.
Press had made an appointment with Thomas Dallaire-Boudreault at the Beaubien cinema, in the borough of Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie in Montreal. Creator of the Instagram account @desmemesgais, which has 46,000 subscribers, the 29-year-old pop culture lover is not just a fan of Celine Dion; he is a connoisseur. Not only from the performer’s repertoire, but from everything that surrounds him: interviews, backstage gossip, fashion, lark.
Thomas had also “done his research” before accepting our invitation. He had inquired about Valérie Lemercier, director and co-writer of the feature film, who plays the diva from the age of 5 to 50 years. So it was with an open mind that he sat down in a packed room on the fifth floor for two hours. Two hours during which we heard laughter and, above all, some applause.
” I liked that ! said Thomas, once out of the cinema. I laughed, I cried. I had emotions! ”
Unlike Claudette and Michel Dion, who visited Julie Snyder’s talk show earlier this week, Thomas Dallaire-Boudreault was not offended by the shortcuts taken by Valérie Lemercier to tell Aline’s story.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Thomas Dallaire-Boudreault
At the factual level, I thought she was going to take more liberties. There are a lot of things you can find in biographies about Celine, and even in DVD clips, which she covers as is.
Thomas Dallaire-Boudreault
“I found it to be an extremely benevolent film. The Dion family looks great. The characters are well developed. It is a beautiful tribute. ”
The Montrealer particularly enjoyed the first part ofAline, which recounts the very beginnings of the artist. He also praises the performance of Danielle Fichaud, who plays Sylvette Dieu, alias Maman Dion.
On the flats side, Thomas points out the concealed death of René Angélil (or rather Guy-Claude Kamar, played by Sylvain Marcel), the scene from the “Votican” (instead of “Vatican”), the second half of the feature film, a not long and anecdotal… and the accent of Valérie Lemercier.
” It’s a film awkward [bizarre], but it works. Because Celine is awkward. ”
PHOTO ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Valérie Lemercier (Aline) and Sylvain Marcel (Guy-Claude) in a scene from the film
“Really pocket”
The favorable verdict of Thomas Dallaire-Boudreault contrasted with the assessment of Estevam Peric and Maxence Garneau, two other huge fans of Celine Dion, collected earlier in the day.
In the eyes of Estevam Peric, Brazilian of origin who settled in Quebec out of love for Celine Dion, Aline completely misses the mark. After having spent the last 25 years assiduously following the career of his idol, he deplores the “errors of dates” which punctuate the feature film.
It lacks realism. Céline has always been an open book. I believe she [Valérie Lemercier] had enough material to avoid making up stories.
Estevam Peric, in a telephone interview with Press
Among the irritants, Estevam also notes the presence of a makeup artist who never existed, and Maman Dion who smokes.
“I found it really, really pocket-friendly. If I had been someone who knew Celine on the surface, I would have liked that. But this is not the case. To use Celine’s name, you have to be well informed and tell the story properly. It has to be up to the task; not a bad deal! ”
“So much colonist! ”
Became a web star in the spring of 2020 by recreating Celine Dion’s striking looks on Instagram, Maxence Garneau was just as severe as Estevam during our call: Aline is not a feature film intended for the faithful followers of the star of Charlemagne.
Sounds like this is a movie for those who just love to hear about Celine at the Bye Bye. Still, I like Celine’s parodies. When they are well done, like that of Marc Labrèche.
Maxence Garneau
Like Estevam, he was very annoyed by the freedoms taken by Valérie Lemercier, as well as by the first names given to Aline’s brothers: Jean-Bobin, Jean-Claudin, etc.
“It sounds like a colonist!” He exclaimed.
PHOTO JEAN-MARIE LEROY, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Valérie Lemercier in Aline
Finally, the 25-year-old researcher scratches Valérie Lemercier’s game.
“She does not have the presence of a star like Celine. When she dances in Las Vegas, it’s burlesque. Looks like a girl trying to imitate her to Secondary in show ! When she sings River deep, Mountain High, it’s zero sexy! While with Céline, it’s hot! ”
Aline is currently in theaters.