When it takes to the skies Amelia really soars with thrilling recreations of Earhart’s solo flights but when it returns to earth all that remains is soap opera.
Comment
11/13/09
Amelia (2009)
20
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:137
Fresh:28
Rotten:109
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Amelia takes the compelling raw materials of its subject’s life and does little with them, conventionally ticking off Earhart's accomplishments without exploring the soul of the woman.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating]
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:13-11-2009
Synopsis: Visionary. Lover. Dreamer. Fighter. Legend. Icon. AMELIA. An extraordinary life of adventure, celebrity and continuing mystery comes to light in AMELIA, a vast, thrilling account of legendary... [More]
Starring: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston
Director: Mira Nair
Reviews for Amelia
Swank’s moving performance, the period dressing and beautiful planes all appeal, but dramatically it doesn’t really soar.
11/13/09
Top CriticInoffensive, arcane and ultimately rather sweet, ‘Amelia’ is one to take your grandmother to.
11/13/09
Top CriticHilary Swank is forced to deliver dialogue that sounds as if it was written in Chinese and then translated into English by a computer.
11/13/09
Top CriticA tinny and barnacled affair, showcasing a peculiarly awful performance from Hilary Swank.
11/13/09
Top CriticIf you’re the kind of person who deplores the modern vogue for debunking historical figures, and who welcomes the opportunity to indulge in heroic feats and lush landscapes... then this is the film for you.
11/13/09
Top CriticThe movie is so dragging and dull that it's a squandered opportunity.
11/13/09
[Earhart's] trajectory from bubbling wannabe to national treasure is never less than compelling thanks to a no-nonsense performance from Swank.
11/13/09
An extraordinary life winds up feeling like a series of random blips on the radar screen.
11/13/09
For a movie that desperately wants to be inspirational, Mira Nair's Amelia is a disappointingly earthbound hagiography.
11/13/09
This limp biopic may inspire you to reach for the air sickness bag.
11/13/09
Nowhere is there any sign of the passion that Amelia must have had.
11/13/09
Amelia was a great adventurer and an inspirational woman. But you would hardly know it from this uninspiring romantic slush.
11/13/09
Woodenly acted and grinningly bland, this Amelia Earhart life story turns Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, playing the aviatrix’s publisher husband, into virtual Thunderbirds puppets.
11/13/09
The look of the movie – suave Art Deco lines and 1930s fashions – is blameless, though helpless to counter the Ron Bass screenplay, guaranteed to drain the life out of any drama it touches.
11/13/09
Amelia is never less than watchable thanks to gorgeous cinematography and strong performances but the script's insistence on playing it safe prevents it from becoming the film it could have been.
11/13/09
Last time Swankatron went a-courting awards, she did so with the amazing Million Dollar Baby. But this biopic of legendary pilot Amelia Earhart is a hundred times blander.
11/13/09
What should have been a soaring, inspirational, complex epic has been grounded by bad storytell ADVERTISEMENT ing, chocolate-box visuals, rubbish star turns and another awful US accent from a Ewan McGregor.
11/13/09
This terrific true story has been so overproduced that there's virtually no life left in it. Even though every frame looks exquisite, not one scene rings true because the filmmakers leave all humour and passion off the screen.
11/12/09
Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank can’t give any lift to Amelia, a soggy, un-engaging biopic.
10/21/09
Latest News for Amelia
October 22, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Astro Boy Doesn't Quite Soar
This week at the movies, we've got an anime hero (Astro Boy, with voice work from Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage); a vampire war ( Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant,... More...
October 22, 2009:
Hollywood's Turbulent Relationship with Flight 
When Hilary Swank takes to the sky in "Amelia" this weekend, she'll be adding to Hollywood's long -- and, yes, rather bumpy -- fascination with flight. More...
October 08, 2009:
New: Brand New Trailer and Poster Here.
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June 28, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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