Review: Amelia (Interesting but unremarkable)

November 3, 2009 by Jane Boursaw

Movie: Amelia * Official Site	In Theaters: Oct. 23, 2009
Runtime: 111 minutes	Directed by: Mira Nair
MPAA Rating: PG for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking	Gecko Rating:

I’m sort of hot and cold on Hilary Swank. There’s no doubt that she’s a great actress – she’s won two Oscars, after all (for “Million Dollar Baby” and “Boys Don’t Cry”). But there’s something about her that’s just a little annoying. I almost hesitate to say it, but she seemed to be over-acting in her portrayal of Amelia Earhart. I just wanted her to snap out of it and be a real person on the screen – not a caricature of a historical figure. There, I’ve said it.

Most of us know the story of Amelia Earhart, the legendary pilot who brought flying into the realm of women, and who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937, while attempting to fly around the world with her navigator, Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston). They were supposed to re-fuel on Howland Island, a tiny speck of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but while trying to make radio contact with a ship, their connection was lost and they were never seen again.

More after the jump…

That was the best scene of the movie, because you really get the whole impact of that lost radio contact – both Amelia and Fred realize that this is the end for them. We don’t actually see them fly into the ocean, but you know it happens.

Prior to this fateful flight, Amelia fell in love with and married publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere), who helped her create the hype over “Lady Lindy,” as well as an advertising campaign (selling an “Amelia Earhart” luggage and clothing line, among others) and lecture circuit to help fund her flying. She wasn’t happy with it, but she knew it was necessary to keep her in the skies. She loved the freedom of flying.

But Earhart also had an affair – with fellow pilot Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor) whose son Gore Vidal grew up to be an icon himself.

The film includes shots here and there of archival footage of the real Amelia Earhart, and with her thin frame and tousled hair, Swank closely resembles the famed aviatrix. I have no idea what the real Earhart sounded like, but both my 12-year-old daughter and I were ultra-annoyed with how Swank talked – like she had cotton in her mouth. I don’t know – maybe that’s how the real woman sounded. The film also portrays her as a women with a gentle soul and the heart of a poet. I hope that’s how she was in real life, because it adds to her mystique.

“Amelia” isn’t a bad movie, and it’s clear that Earhart helped women make great strides in not only aviation, but other areas of their lives, too. The movie is also visually stunning, with sweeping views of land across the globe, as seen from the cockpit of an airplane.

Still, the movie leaves something to be desired and will most likely appeal to people who are interested in aviation or the life of Earhart. At the very least, it will make you want to search further to find out more about her.