Directed by Mira Nair (“The Namesake”) “Amelia” follows the life of American aviation visionary Amelia Earhart as she attempts to be the first woman to not only cross the Atlantic Ocean but to fly across the world. Starring Hilary Swank Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor “Amelia” appears at first glance to have much promise. Sadly it does not fulfill its potential.
“Amelia” is the type of movie that viewers will be rooting for the whole time. But by the time the credits role they will end up slightly disappointed with the film.
It is not a “bad” film; “Amelia” is just lacking in many technical virtues that are necessary for a narrative to convey the psychological and emotional depth that this movie undertakes.
First the screenplay is horrendously clichéd and stilted. Throughout the whole movie with the exception of a few well-crafted scenes the dialogue seems to have been written without much thought to the realism of the diction.
This can be seen in one of the opening scenes where Amelia approaches George Putnam (Gere) to express her desire to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. He asks her why she so fervently desires to fly. She replies “Why do men ride horses?” George answers slightly chuckling “Because they want to.” “Amelia” tries so hard to be deep that it ends up being superficial.
Furthermore the unraveling of the plot is exceptionally formulaic. For example once Gene (McGregor) enters the picture it is obvious that a love conflict will ensue between him and Amelia’s husband George.
One scene in particular emphasizes the conventional nature of the movie; when George sees Amelia flirting with Gene at a party his demeanor suddenly changes to melodramatic sadness (since they were not married at this point).
And in the very next scene George is sulking at his dining room table heavily drinking. Whether realistic or not these scenes are too formulaic to truly convey the characters’ complex emotions.
The worst part of the movie however is the lack of full character development. All the characters are only half-developed which makes it difficult for the audience to connect to them. Amelia’s psychological depth should have been explored in greater detail; the movie does not do her historical character justice. Sadly the depth of this movie does not succeed.
However there are still great qualities in this film. The acting for one is phenomenal. Considering the limited material the actors had to work with Gere Swank and McGregor squeezed every last drop out of this script. Specifically the romance between George and Amelia was heartfelt and executed very well if slightly melodramatically.
One of the most poignant scenes occurs when Amelia is preparing for her most dangerous part of her international flight. Talking with George over the radio Amelia expresses the deep love she has for him; both Gere and Swank capture this poignancy with extraordinary talent.
Additionally “Amelia” is filmed against a backdrop of beautiful scenery. From Africa to Ireland this film captures the beauty of nature and the exhilaration of personal freedom. Even in the suspenseful scenes the clouds and lighting are captured in such an artistic way that “Amelia” becomes a visually stunning adventure.
The music costumes and visual effects are also of the highest quality. Furthermore the subject material had potential to be an Oscar-worthy movie. Unfortunately “Amelia” falls prey to certain tropes and lacks character development and psychological depth. Overall the film is only mediocre but I would still recommend watching it when it arrives on DVD.
Score: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
