Saw the movie last night with (a very cranky) Amanda and her boyfriend, Dave. We drove into the city, and Amanda was annoyed because she felt sure I wasn’t going to be able to find a parking spot. Well, I proved her wrong. We found a spot on 19th St., in front of a restaurant called Socarrat Paella Bar. I’d gone there with my cousin Jaimie a few weeks before, and the avuncular, verging-on-obese owner fell in love her at first sight. He seated us at a special table for friends and family in the garden, accessible through the kitchen, a la Goodfellas. The food was spectacularly delicious but I’m not sure I can ever go back, since this guy has been stalking my cousin ever since. (She had to give him her cellphone number so he could call us when the table was ready.) There he was, sweating and writing names down on a clipboard–I ran past him with my hair in my face.
On to the movie: Coco Before Chanel is about the early life of the designer, long before she became the head of the most important and influential house in the history of fashion. (Can I say that? I’m clueless about fashion.) I knew nothing about this woman before seeing the movie, but I came away smitten: She wore men’s clothes back in the 1800s, when women were draped in frilly finery; was a staunch feminist; refused to depend on a man to create a life for herself. The woman was a rock star in every sense of the word. Plus, the movie itself was so well-done: gorgeously filmed, a riveting story and stellar acting, A+ all around. You must go see this film. I recommend wearing something simple and striped to the theater, so you can feel as cool as Coco when the lights come up.
September 28th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Coco sounds vaguely interesting, but I’d like to hear more about this cranky Amanda character. She sounds fascinating!