Amelie

Rating:
Summary: Hugely overrated, it none-the-less made me smile
Review: "Amelie" (2001)

Since this movie was released just a little while after the September 11th tragedy, I think all viewers gave a certain warmth towards it because it was such a feel-good film and that's just what audiences needed after seeing the twin towers crash down. I actually saw this movie about December of 2001, so I wasn't as affected by the cheery state of this film as the viewers watching it a month or so after the tragedy were. None-the-less, Amelie still made me smile.

Alas, there were problems though. At times I felt very manipulated by the film and had the feeling that the movie was trying too hard to get me to like it. The most annoying thing about the movie is it goes on for a little too long. The film develops an excellent first half, but it bogs down just a little in the second half with an only mildly interesting love story that remains mysterious for far too long.

This definitely isn't a bad movie though. I had some dislikes, but overall, I enjoyed Amelie and it kept me happy. Mostly due to Audrey Tatou's amazing screen presence. She brings much light and warmth to her character, and I look forward to her becoming a big star in future films, and maybe not just French ones.

The characters are developed very well and I loved how at the start of the movie it had voice-over's about the characters likes and dislikes, and their style of living, how old they are and so on and so on. The movie doesn't just develop its characters with words; it also uses movements, facial expressions and quotable one-liners to make these people more 3-dimensional.

Amelie is also good for a laugh. Many of the scenarios are laugh-out-loud funny (Amelie punishing her neighbours, a cigarette saleswoman having sex for the first time in months, very publicly!) and others are just small laughs that earn big smiles. I enjoyed the laughs and kindness of the movie, and I liked how the title character wanted to do things to make others' lives better. It made me feel like I wanted to do something good for somebody else. Sometimes Amelie was a bit too in-your-face nice, like do we really need the lead character giving us nice, cute smiles every 5 minutes, and showing us spoons nicely, while being nice? There were really no dark aspects of the movie, but I suppose that is not exactly a flaw because the aim of the game was probably to make Amelie as much of a a bright, fun, happy film as it could be, but I would've liked a bit more genre range.

All in all, this movie earned my respect and I recommend it, but it certainly wasn't the best film of 2001, as many critics and festivals are calling it. It was simply a quirky, funny little number that you can watch once, smile and laugh with it, and then forget about it after a few days.

MY GRADE: B

Rating:
Summary: A quirky comedy that you'll love
Review: "Amelie" is a harmless screwball comedy from France. It stars the absolutly adorable Audry Tautou as Amelie, a young lady living in Paris. One day she decides she will spread love and happiness. So she begins setting up her friends, playing little jokes on her neighbors, helping people get over various fears, ect. But she is struck dumb when she finds her self in love with Nino, a young man who is obsessed with taping torn photos back together. It is a nice change of pace from my usual gloom and doom movies, but a welcome one. I liked that some of the stuff that happened only happened in her imagination (think the French equivalent of "Ally McBeal"). The only thing I thought was off about this movie (even by it's standards) was the relationship of Amelie and Nino. If I tries some of the stuff she did to him, I would be arrested for stalking! But all in all it is a pretty funny movie, with only a few quick sex scenes to really object too, and that is streaching it. I really think PG-13 would have been correct instead of R. But, what can we do.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful movie beautifully made
Review: "Amelie" is a simply wonderful film about a shy, introspective but free-spirited girl who found a kindred spirt (and love of her life) through helping a host of others in need of help. The cinematography was beautiful, and the hilarious scenes of Amelie's overactive imagination (similar to those of "Ally McBeal") made the film just fun to watch. The story itself, while largely predictable (after all, can this film really end on a sad note?), has a few twists and turns that keeps the viewer highly entertained. Last but not least, composer Yann Tiersen did a wonderful job with the soundtrack that successfully created the appropriate mood (just listening to the music evokes "Paris" in one's mind). I just couldn't get that melancholy "Guilty" out of my head when I'd left the theater after watching the film. Thus, I also *highly* recommend the soundtrack.

BTW, this film is subtitled. I'd never thought that this would be an issue when recommending a film, but after reading the scathing reviews from subtitled-challenged reviewers on "Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon", ("I can't believe that it wasn't in English!!!") I guess my fellow Americans need to be warned that not every film needs to be in English to be worth watching. Sad but true . . .

Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air
Review: "Amelie" is a wonderful film in all respects: acting, script, direction, character development, suspense, comedy, originality and even special effects. This joyous and touching film is so far from the formulaic junk they are cranking out in Hollywood these days that I hope they take note of it's fresh and original nature and allow some fresh scripts to be produced. Of course what is more likely to happen is that given its success, Hollywood will buy the rights, water the script down, call it "Emily" set it in New York or Seattle and produce some cheese-processed English language version. But back to "Amelie". This film grabs you from the opening and never lets go. It was really better than all the word of mouth hype I had heard- a rare event indeed.
Prepare to be utterly delighted!
Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A Little Bit of Magic!
Review: "Amelie" is a wonderful film that will touch you, make you giggle, and make you glad you are alive. Unlike a cheezy romantic comedy where you are supposed to feel angst for the characters, this film makes you love the characters and root for them in their quirky, unexpected habits and tastes. It is, admittedly, a story with very little external conflict, but it tells a lovely story in a cinematic and warm way. None of the characters are perfect, but all of them are perfectly human.

Reviews of this movie seem to use words like "charming," "magical," and "quirky;" you will see why when you watch Amelie dip her fingers into a huge barrel of lentils just to enjoy the sensation in her fingers.

The film centres around a young girl who has been somewhat of a fish out of water her whole life, but has retained a sense of wonder and of enjoyment of little things in the world around her. Amelie works through her insecurities during visits with her father and especially with a very insightful and caring neighbour, the "glass man," who cannot go outside because his bones are so brittle they break at the slightest contact. Through her "good deeds," taken on after a chance discovery, she learns how to create love in the world around her, and that love can touch her, herself.

I love my formulaic romantic comedies, but this has none of the painful "I know what's coming next" of the typical Meg Ryan film. Instead, "Amelie" constantly throws curves at you to make you laugh and experience the joy of being alive. Please watch this film (and don't let the rating throw you off -- the "orgasm" scene is literally about five seconds long) and laugh with Amelie as she gets revenge, plots romance, sets wrongs aright, and strives for her own happiness. I can't tell you enough good about this film.

Note #1: You will like it if you liked films like "Jeffrey" or "Notting Hill" with quirky love stories. You will *not* like this film if you want to see: Things blowing up, Drug addictions, A "Shocker Twist" somewhere in the plot, or Extremely Challenging Philosophies On Life. That's not to say the film isn't intelligent; it just challenges you in a different way.

Note #2: Some of the people in this film look like REAL PEOPLE. If you prefer everyone in your films to look like Cameron Diaz, this is not recommended for you.

Note #3: If you don't speak French and you have vision problems, you might want to be careful with this DVD as the subtitles are quite faint and often set against bright colours.

Rating:
Summary: Life is Beautiful!
Review: "Amelie" is a wonderfully movie, easily in my favorite foreign movies of all time.... For fans of this director's earlier, darker works, "Amelie" contains many camera tricks that will seem familiar. This is not an insult because Jeneut & Caro movies are awe-inspiring. ..."Amelie" takes the director's genius with a camera and shows viewers the extreme opposite of his spectrum. This movie is vibrant in tone and color, full of beauty, humor, and romance. I won't forget this movie and its characters (including Jeneut regular, Dominique Pinon! I love that guy!) for a long time, and can't wait for this DVD!

Rating:
Summary: something different
Review: "Amelie" is an imaginatively conceived, well-directed French film that will capture your interest. Whimsical, young and light-hearted, Amelie searches for love. This fresh-spirited movie has surprises around every corner. The French subtitles are no problem as you will easily enter Amelie's world. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Ta Ta , Tautou!
Review: "Amelie" is cute and refreshingly different, but not that good. A few cinematic tricks (which we see every week on "Ally McBeal" and a sqeaky clean girl do not add up to a great movie. First, the character development is not strong at all ... We see reactions of people, but nothing more. As for the script, well, directors let Chuck Norris say more than this star. For the first half hour, I thought she was mute! And the story line? I could see this train wreck coming at the beginning. How sweet! Cute lonely girl helps others find happiness. Will she find love and happiness herself? Duh! ...! If you want to see a great film about how one person affects others, one that has great writing, acting, character development that is far above this "Amelie" tripe, then rent or buy "Vagabond," a film by Agnes Varda starring Sandrine Bonnaire. I guarantee you, put these two chicks in the same room and the Vag girl will stomp all the cuteness outa that imp in two seconds! And don't worry, "Vagabond" has subtitles too! Hurray! Grow up! "Amelie" is for those who still believe in the tooth fairy. "Vagabond" is for those of you who figure that, if there is a tooth fairy...

Rating:
Summary: As rich as French cuisine
Review: "Amelie" reminds movie lovers why we sit through all the dross, hoping against hope (or hype) that pure cinema DOES still exist. Easily the best European import since "Wings Of Desire", this beautifully shot and imaginatively edited film explores similar themes of humanist romanticism, albeit with a lighter touch. Audrey Tautou literally lights up the screen as the endearingly offbeat Amelie, a "gregarious loner" who decides to become a guardian angel (sometimes benign devil) and commit random acts of anonymous kindness. Amelie's "people in need" are suspiciously silmilar to her-those who need that little push to come out of self-imposed exiles and revel in life's simple pleasures. Of course, our heroine is really in search of her own happiness and fulfillment. Does she find it? You'll have to see for yourself! Whimsical, touching and ultimately meaningful without pretension or saccharine overload. Even hard-bitten cynics may find themselves tearing up once or twice (warning: hopeless romantics will be reduced to hapless puddles!).

Rating:
Summary: A charming romantic confection
Review: "Amelie," directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, tells the story of a waitress who engages in an extended, game-like romantic flirtation with an eccentric young man while at the same time playfully meddling in the lives of the people around her. The film is a romantic comedy with quirky accents of fantasy and absurdism.

As the title character, the lovely Audrey Tatou is a delight. Amelie is a mischievous woman-child, both sexy and oddly innocent. Tatou is excellently complemented by Mathieu Kassovitz, who plays Nino, Amelie's romantic interest. Kassovitz brings an appealing, dreamy vulnerability to his oddball role. The rest of the cast brings a lot of life to their roles: Amelie's gloomy father, a brittle-boned artist known as the "Glass Man," a hypochondriac tobacco salesgirl, and others.

Overall, this is a fun, lighthearted film. I was intrigued by the recurring motif of England's Princess Diana, who functions as a sort of patron saint throughout the film. The film is filled with many clever visual flourishes: pictures that come to life and talk, etc. If you're in the mood for some sexy, silly, imaginative romance, go for "Amelie."