Movie Review: Amelia
Hey, I know that this isn't one that everybody was rushing out to see...but if you were stumbling out to see this...don't.
Landing Gere
Amelia examines the famous flyer via the men she loved
Ben Coffman
At a time when executing a publicity stunt is considered an accomplishment and fame-whoring is an occupation (for further reference, see the Heenes, the Kardashians, the Pratts, et al), watching a biopic about an intrepid, intelligent go-getter like Amelia Earhart is a nice change of pace. What’s not nice is when the aforementioned movie, Amelia, basically examines this famous woman’s life via her lovers…and when the movie kind of sucks.
When Amelia begins, it is 1928, 31 years after her birth. Earhart, played by Academy award winner Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, The Next Karate Kid), is on the cusp of becoming a famous pilot. At that time, no woman had ever made a trans-Atlantic flight (and many men had lost their lives in the endeavor), so when the crop-haired, freckled-faced flyer from Kansas is approached by promoter/publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) with an opportunity to make history, Earhart jumps at the chance.
What she didn’t realize, however, was that she wouldn’t actually be flying the plane on the first trans-Atlantic flight by a woman. Instead, she would be the crew’s captain. Despite this setback, the flight is successful, and afterwards, book deals and endorsements keep her busier than a Detroit real estate agent. As she adjusts to the limelight, Earhart also reluctantly settles into a relationship with Putnam, with him basically taking over her career while Earhart petulantly protests.
From here, Amelia’s narrative skips ahead, chronologically checking off each of Earhart’s flying accomplishments and her life’s high points (which usually involve men). Earhart eventually caves to marrying Putnam. A second trans-Atlantic flight, this one solo, further enhances Earhart’s fame. She has an affair. And a plane crash during her first attempt at traversing the globe endangers her dreams.
Although Amelia should be focused on its strong female protagonist, we see Earhart’s life filtered through the men that seemed to shape it. Director Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, Monsoon Wedding) and the film’s writers synthesized two Earhart biographies in creating the screenplay for Amelia. Strangely, except for a couple of brief flashbacks, Earhart’s entire childhood and early adulthood—the formative years of her life—are overlooked. According to Amelia, Earhart’s life didn’t even begin until she became romantically involved with men. Without this background, and despite Swank’s best acting efforts (which come off as quaint at best, annoying at worst), Earhart never really comes to life as a living, breathing person.
Most damning of all is the manufactured “danger” throughout the film. Despite aviation's experimental nature and Earhart’s real-life willingness to push boundaries, the movie has all the thrills of a hay ride, like an estrogen-infused The Right Stuff.
Swank looks much like Earhart, but her grinning impersonation of the flyer is long on tooth and short on real spunk. Even her affair with aviator Gene Vidal (woefully underplayed by Ewan McGregor) has all the sizzle and flash of a wet firecracker. Essentially, Amelia suffers from a flu-like malaise, with everything having been dialed down several notches too far. In short, the film doesn't live up to the legend it profiles.
Grade: D
Landing Gere
Amelia examines the famous flyer via the men she loved
Ben Coffman
At a time when executing a publicity stunt is considered an accomplishment and fame-whoring is an occupation (for further reference, see the Heenes, the Kardashians, the Pratts, et al), watching a biopic about an intrepid, intelligent go-getter like Amelia Earhart is a nice change of pace. What’s not nice is when the aforementioned movie, Amelia, basically examines this famous woman’s life via her lovers…and when the movie kind of sucks.
When Amelia begins, it is 1928, 31 years after her birth. Earhart, played by Academy award winner Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, The Next Karate Kid), is on the cusp of becoming a famous pilot. At that time, no woman had ever made a trans-Atlantic flight (and many men had lost their lives in the endeavor), so when the crop-haired, freckled-faced flyer from Kansas is approached by promoter/publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) with an opportunity to make history, Earhart jumps at the chance.
What she didn’t realize, however, was that she wouldn’t actually be flying the plane on the first trans-Atlantic flight by a woman. Instead, she would be the crew’s captain. Despite this setback, the flight is successful, and afterwards, book deals and endorsements keep her busier than a Detroit real estate agent. As she adjusts to the limelight, Earhart also reluctantly settles into a relationship with Putnam, with him basically taking over her career while Earhart petulantly protests.
From here, Amelia’s narrative skips ahead, chronologically checking off each of Earhart’s flying accomplishments and her life’s high points (which usually involve men). Earhart eventually caves to marrying Putnam. A second trans-Atlantic flight, this one solo, further enhances Earhart’s fame. She has an affair. And a plane crash during her first attempt at traversing the globe endangers her dreams.
Although Amelia should be focused on its strong female protagonist, we see Earhart’s life filtered through the men that seemed to shape it. Director Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, Monsoon Wedding) and the film’s writers synthesized two Earhart biographies in creating the screenplay for Amelia. Strangely, except for a couple of brief flashbacks, Earhart’s entire childhood and early adulthood—the formative years of her life—are overlooked. According to Amelia, Earhart’s life didn’t even begin until she became romantically involved with men. Without this background, and despite Swank’s best acting efforts (which come off as quaint at best, annoying at worst), Earhart never really comes to life as a living, breathing person.
Most damning of all is the manufactured “danger” throughout the film. Despite aviation's experimental nature and Earhart’s real-life willingness to push boundaries, the movie has all the thrills of a hay ride, like an estrogen-infused The Right Stuff.
Swank looks much like Earhart, but her grinning impersonation of the flyer is long on tooth and short on real spunk. Even her affair with aviator Gene Vidal (woefully underplayed by Ewan McGregor) has all the sizzle and flash of a wet firecracker. Essentially, Amelia suffers from a flu-like malaise, with everything having been dialed down several notches too far. In short, the film doesn't live up to the legend it profiles.
Grade: D
Labels: Amelia, Ben Coffman, movie review
posted by Ryan at
10:05 AM
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