
Amelia
2009, History/Drama, 1h 51m
166 Reviews 50,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics 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. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Amelia Earhart
George Putnam
Gene Vidal
Fred Noonan

Bill Stultz
Eleanor Roosevelt
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Critic Reviews for Amelia
All Critics (166) | Top Critics (61) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (133)
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February 14, 2012 | Rating: B- | Full Review… -
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November 24, 2011 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review… -
It has beautiful cinematography, a star performance that is shocking in its authenticity, a careful eye for nuance and detail and an irresistible blend of action and romance that should spell automatic success.
December 10, 2009 -
Swank's moving performance, the period dressing and beautiful planes all appeal, but dramatically it doesn't really soar.
November 13, 2009 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Inoffensive, arcane and ultimately rather sweet, 'Amelia' is one to take your grandmother to.
November 13, 2009 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Hilary Swank is forced to deliver dialogue that sounds as if it was written in Chinese and then translated into English by a computer.
November 13, 2009 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Amelia
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Jan 06, 2013Amelia is a flawed, but nonetheless entertaining biopic on the adventures of Amelia Earhart. Although the film flawed, the movie does have a strong lead performance by Hilary Swank in the title role, and she is wonderful in the part. The film's limitations are overcome with Swank's engaging performance. The film tends to be a little light in content, considering that Earhart is such an iconic historical character. But there are enough elements here to make it an interesting viewing. Overall this is a good film, but there could have been a bit more material added to the script to really make this one stand out. Amelia is a good film, but will certainly disappoint viewers looking for a great biopic to watch. The film should have focused lot more on the achievements of Earhart and made it a slightly longer picture. Enjoyable drama for what it is, Amelia is a well acted picture with a good story that had the potential of being so much better. Like I said, Hilary Swank's acting holds this film together and manages to make the film worth seeing. Amelia Earhart's story is truly compelling and exciting, but ultimately sad due to the fact that her final adventure ended with her disappearance and death. This film can introduce you to her wonderful and exciting life, but if you want the in depth facts of Amelia Earhart's life, this film will leave you wanting more in that area. Worth seeing, and despite its flaws, it's underrated and it deserves to be seen, as it has the knack of making the viewing wanting to know more about this incredible icon.Alex r Super Reviewer
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Aug 17, 2011It is 1937. Amelia Earhart(Hilary Swank) is saying goodbye to her husband George Putnam(Richard Gere) before embarking on a historic round the world flight with her navigator Fred Noonan(Christopher Eccleston). It is 1928. Amelia Earhart is meeting George Putnam, a publisher, wanting to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Fine, he says, but it will be as a passenger.(At least, it's not as a stewardess.) In any case, she is instrumental in the flight's success which she parlays into fame, eventually meeting Gene Vidal(Ewan McGregor). There is a certain irony in Charles Lindbergh at first overshadowing Amelia Earhart in her early flying career, as "The Spirit of Saint Louis" overshadows "Amelia" with its similar structure.(If one were of a cynical nature, one could point out that Lindbergh knew when to quit.) Admittedly, "Amelia" is a very good looking movie(as are most of Mira Nair's films) and has perfectly cast Hilary Swank in the lead while Cherry Jones as Eleanor Roosevelt is inspired casting of the highest order. Even with that, the movie is less than gripping, grounding Earhart and not in a good way. Yes, "The Spirit of Saint Louis" was pure mythology but it proved that we do need our heroes. So, what happens with "Amelia" is that it deconstructs the wrong person without anything interesting being said. At least, it does not speculate any more than necessary(which Gore Vidal, here invoked, has elsewhere), inferring that air navigation of the time was not an exact science(On the first transatlantic flight, she asks if it is Ireland on their arrival. No, Wales, responds a resident. Whoops.). Even then, the movie goes on a little too long.Walter M Super Reviewer
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Feb 02, 2011A good biopic of early feminist Amelia Earhart with stunning period details.Juli R Super Reviewer
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Oct 26, 2010This is a prestige picture that is really aiming for Oscars and all kinds of critical acclaim, but sadly, it falls way short of the mark. The subject is interesting, but this is a standard biopic that isn't really remarkable. Everything is just rather average here. Well, the acting stands out, it's better tha navwerage, but even that is underwhelming. Swank does nail the voice, likeness, and mannerisms of Earhart, but the film just feels kind of hollow and pointless. That's a shame too, especially since the subject is so interesting and intriguing. The other cast members are good, but this is really Swank's show. Too bad it falters. There are some good moments, but this film just kind of drags and is really pretty boring. The camera work is good though. That's another positive thing it has going for it. I blame the writing though. The script could have been far better. It's undercooked and just reeks of "typical", I haven't seen any of Mira Nair's other films, but I do know a little about her. That said, maybe she wasn't the right choice. I'm not sure who else I'd pic though, but it would probably be someone with more clout and experience. Like I said, the acting and camera work are good, and there a few nice scenes, but other than that, this is a big disappointent that I just can't recommend.Chris W Super Reviewer
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