Almost everyone has heard the story of Amelia Earhart. She attempts to fly around the world and goes missing somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Don’t be alarmed by the overdone subject matter, however, this film is nothing like that paper you wrote on her in sixth grade.
The film jumps back and forth between scenes of Earhart (Hillary Swank) on her journey around the world and the pivotal moments of her life leading up to the iconic journey. As we learn more about her open marriage with George Putnam (Richard Gere) and the criticisms that plagued Amelia as she became (unwillingly, it seems) an American icon, we come to see her as much more complex than the one-dimensional hero depicted in millions of elementary school presentations.
The major fault in this film is its inconsistent, jolting plot. The flash backs do not have a consistent time line for the first half of the film. Has it been days, months, or years since the last episode? Did Amelia flirt with Gene Vidal ( Ewan McGregor) minutes or days before Putnamís proposal? Itís hard to tell. Many events pop up without warning, and often their significance is lost or misconstrued because the viewer is unable to see what they lead to. Fortunately, once the plot picks up and the focus is less on her marriage and more on her love of flying, the flash backs become more consistent.
Another major issue with this film is its overabundance of cheesy dialogue. The first 30 minutes of the film could have been written by ten year olds. This may have been done with artistic intent, however, since the dialogue becomes more advanced as Amelia herself becomes more sophisticated. At least, you can tell yourself that to get through the corny part.
Hillary Swank has had better films. Her acting wasn’t awful, but her Kansas accent was. Unfortunately, the same goes for Richard Gere, who is normally an actor who guarantees a good show.
Despite these rather large flaws, the film was not awful. There are beautiful pieces of aerial cinematography, and, overall, the film is quite classy. With hardly any cursing, no poop jokes and no random, explosive car crashes ( a plane crash, albeit, but no car crashes), it was a nice contrast to what is normally offered in theaters.
My advice: if you really want to enjoy this film, see it as a work of art. Donít go for the plot. You already know what is going to happen anyway. Just enjoy the cinematography and the overall mystique of Amelia’s unknown fate. Then you will not be disappointed.
Rated: PG Grade : C