AmÉlie

Amélie, Miramax Home Entertainment

So am I just stupid? Because I feel like I was the only person in the world who didn’t know this film was in French prior to watching it. Seriously, it took me like five minutes to get the subtitles working. My own incompetence aside, Amélie is wonderful! It reminds me of a more grown up version of Matilda; except with less child abuse and disgusting wide-angle shots. Amélie is the movie equivalent of having a super fun, cool aunt that has weird quirks like wearing hats with feathers in them and takes you to get scones and tea at 3:00 in the afternoon just to spoil your appetite later. But enough vague comparisons, what’s it about?

Amélie follows the life of the titular young woman, Amélie, living in Paris (where else would a French film take place?) who, after stumbling upon a mysterious box, makes it her quest to return the box and its contents to the original owner. After succeeding, she vows to make the lives of her peers better in any way she can. Her methods henceforth range from sweet and direct to charmingly complex and mysterious. But, with all of her efforts to make others happy, she continually neglects to seek her own happiness. In her case, happiness is winning the affection of a man she often sees scraping out picture clippings from under photobooths (trust me, it makes sense later). The story is just as quirky as it is heartwarming, and it lends itself to plenty of laughs along the way too.

Amélie is entirely brimming with personality, with a distinct color palette of yellows and other warm tones helping to set the film’s mood. Amélie herself, played endearingly by the uniquely talented Audrey Tautou, gives a performance as only she could, creating a well-rounded character who often shifts motivation from selflessness, to mischievousness on a dime. This makes for a fun character study of a film, which in some meta way, features the protagonist studying characters herself.

Amélie was nominated for five Academy Awards when it was first released back in 2001, and in many ways, it’s easy to see why. Aside from being stylized and artsy (this is a French film after all), it’s a fun, original story with great writing, cinematography, and acting. It never takes itself too seriously or dwells in lofty pretension like so many other “Oscar fodder” movies can, but it’s sensible and competent enough to appeal to the analytical senses of the movie buff, the critic, and the common movie goer. It was a delight to watch, that is, as long as you get your subtitles working.

Overall Rating: A Great Watch

Entertainment Value: Kept My Attention