Amelia

Hilary Swank plays the titular heroine, Amelia Earhart, in this biopic directed by Mira Nair ("The Namesake").  You would think a movie about one of the most exciting and progressive women in American history would be interesting, right?  You would be wrong.  The film follows the famed aviator from her early days of flying when she is eventually approached by future husband George Putnam (played by a flabby Richard Gere) to make her first transatlantic flight.  We see Amelia become world-renown as she continues succeeding in flight after flight, despite her aversion to her new celebrity status.  However, the way Swank plays the character, she just falls completely flat.  Here is a woman who should be filled with passion and vim, yet the character comes off as completely lifeless and dull, as does most of the movie.  We are told that Amelia flies simply for the love of flying, but we never really feel it.   Her marriage to Putnam is just as apathetic; the way it is depicted makes it seem like more of a marriage of convenience than anything else, but we are meant to believe that she stays with him out of love.  Meanwhile, she falls in love with another man, Gene Vidal (played by the always charming and delightful Ewan McGregor) but the storyline is so glossed over that it's not entirely clear what was behind their relationship at all.  In the end, you are left having watched a 2-hour long movie that hasn't really told you anything about Amelia or why she left such an indelible mark on the world.  I guess if you really want to know more than just superficial details about this enthralling pioneer, you're better off checking out the biography section of your local library.


2 out of 5 stars