Secondhand Reviews: "Amelia"

When the "Movies Of The Fall" preview articles started appearing in magazines like "Entertainment Weekly", "Amelia" was inevitably at or near the top of the list for Oscar buzz. After all, with Oscar winners and nominees and critically respected film makers dominating the proceedings and a fascinating historical subject like Amelia Earhardt, how could it miss? Then the movie actually came out, and the buzz came to a sudden grinding halt. Virtually not a word to be found in any major reviews about Oscar prospects. Now that it's gotten to the second-run houses I've caught up with it, and while I have to agree with a lot of what has been said about the weaknesses of the film, in the end I still feel like I have to recommend it. Does that make any sense? Well, maybe you can read the following comments and decide for yourself.

"Amelia" takes up the Earheardt story in the early 1930's as Amelia is attempting to make her first trans-atlantic crossing (essentially as a passenger on the plane she's supposed to be flying herself). We follow her life as she begins a romantic relationship with publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) and marries him, and is tempted by a fellow aviation enthusiast played by Ewan McGregor, who, unlike her husband, completely understands the appeal of flight. Most of the other major events of her life are dealt with briefly, and we of course wind up with her legendary attempt to fly around the world in 1937.

First things first: everything you may have heard about the weak romantic sub-plots and the sometimes painful dialogue therein is absolutely true. Richard Gere tends to sleepwalk through a lot of his performances and then every once in a while wakes up and really acts. This performance is one of the former sort, but you can hardly blame him when he has to speak stilted, unnatural dialogue like "Only you could say such brutal words to me and still make me want to be with you."  Ewan McGregor comes off even worse, mainly due to the way you never really see his & Amelia's affair begin or develop, you're just suddenly in it, and then don't quite understand what's going on or how it's developing before you're back with Gere again... it's like the movie isn't really interested in the relationship at all, it's just there to provide some requisite conflict. Problem is, the movie doesn't need it. It's entirely possible that everything the film shows us about the affiar is true (though given Hollywood history, I'd be surprised), but this is a film with one of the most fascinating women of the 20th century at its center, and it doesn't need any tacked-on romantic subplots (doesn't need to dwell on her marriage, either, for that matter) to make for an exciting film. Every time Gere or McGregor dominates a scene, a previously absorbing story becomes excruciatingly dull.

HOWEVER... and this is a big however... Hillary Swank as Amelia is a true wonder. I've found her performances to be as erratic as Gere's, but unlike Gere, this is absolutely one of the winners. Swank makes you forget you're not watching footage of the real Earhardt, she's that authentic. Her excitement about and obsession with flying are like real emotions, not just something an actor is simulating, and you almost can't help sharing them. I'm not sure, considering the film's relative lack of business and poor critical reception, how much of a chance Hillary Swank actually has of picking up a nomination for her role, but she totally deserves one. It's one of the outstanding acting jobs of the year.

The script (by Ron Bass & Anna Hamilton Phelan), as weak as it is in some of the dialogue, does take some  clever and pointed turns, too. We see how Amelia is forced to become a spokesperson for a seemingly endless series of commercial products in a sequence that has some direct and rather amusing parallels to contemporary celebrities & their endorsement deals. And Amelia's genuine desire to serve as an example to other women and show them that they don't have to be bound by the old stereotypes of what women are "supposed to" be like, is brought home in a strong, solid way. Gabriel Yared's sweeping, grandiose (and somewhat old-fashioned) score is perfectly fitting for a story of this particular era and ought to earn him a nomination as well. And yes, it is true that in attempting to cover six years or so in two hours, it does essentially reduce certain parts of her life to bullet points. But then, you'll find that sort of thing in pretty much every bio-film, and besides, just think what it WOULD have been if the movie had tried to tell the story of her entire life!

So, while "Amelia" is flawed, the flaws definitely aren't fatal, and there's more than enough about the movie that does work to make it worthwhile viewing. Director Mira Nair has often specialized in stories about women who have been determined to transcend the artificial limitations that their society and their time has placed on them, and while this is not the best work she has even done in that field, it is a worthy addition to the list. It deserved a better fate (both critically and commercially) than it got, but there's still time to find out how surprisingly effective the film often is. As for me, I still haven't given up on Hillary Swank for a Best Actress nomination. I mean, once in a while it ought to go to someone who actually deserves it, right?