There are two distinct threads of plot present in Amelia, a biopic about the immensely interesting aviatrix Amelia Earhart. One involves Earhart’s desire above all else to be in the air. The other deals with her rise to a Hollywood-styled social life. Each requires the other to move the plot forward, so it’s a shame that both seem so hollow.
Periodically, Earhart (Hilary Swank, Birds of America) spouts some sentimental nonsense about how important it is for her to fly. Then she accents her point.
Upon spotting a group of wandering oryx, Swank says wondrously “Look how free they are!”
However, this desire to fly anchors certain elements of the plot. The idea for Earhart is that money and fame don’t matter as much as doing what she loves. That’s all well and good, but the message would be just as effective without the extra contrivances.
Then there’s Earhart’s much less interesting rise to media prominence, when she marries publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere, Nights in Rodanthe) and has a supposedly steamy affair with Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor, Angels & Demons).
These are the weakest parts of the film. Director Mira Nair (New York, I Love You) merely shows the audience what happens without commenting on it or inviting further discussion.
The formula is simple: Earhart accomplishes some great feat in flying, becomes a media darling, becomes disillusioned with her newfound fame, yearns to return to the skies and then does. Rinse and repeat, except sprinkle in a marriage and a puzzling affair as you please.
Gere does a fine job of bringing to life the mostly restrained Putnam, but is rarely given anything to do but react to Earhart’s shenanigans. McGregor’s part is a drama-ramping afterthought, a character who could have been cut if so much of the movie’s conflict didn’t rest on his back.
But Swank plays Earhart convincingly. Beside the helpful physical resemblance, Swank manages to strike a nice balance between friendly, effervescent and fiercely independent.
The best parts of Amelia are in the sequences during which Earhart actually flies. Besides breaking up the tedium of her upper-class woes, the set of characters involved in these scenes are also decidedly more interesting. And forget about the more action-oriented moments inherent here — the magic exists between the actors, not in the CGI. In fact, for the most part, the supposed action isn’t nearly as pulse-pounding as it wants to be.
The exception is the deliberately paced and therefore remarkably effective finale. Not often can a movie whose ending is clear from the beginning inspire such nervousness, but Amelia succeeds. It’s clear the script doesn’t have much to say, but in a situation like those final moments, it triumphs in creating tension.
The George Putnam and Gene Vidal melodrama, on the other hand, doesn’t. The stiff presentation of Earhart’s relationships to these men keeps the audience from caring much about either love interest.
It makes one wonder: If the personal drama doesn’t work because there’s nothing substantial under the surface, and the flying sequences only work because of their heightened sense of mood, why should we see Amelia?
It’s not a commentary on the woman’s life, just a strict presentation of it. It’s not a reverential portrait, because Nair doesn’t shy from putting Earhart’s imperfections on display. The only forward movement is the slight change in Earhart’s character from bubbly independence to self-assured independence. So, again, what exactly is the purpose of Amelia?
The answer? Well, there isn’t much of one, really. When all is said and done, Amelia is just a well-constructed biopic that never really says anything.
jwolper@umdbk.com
RATING: 2.5 out of 5 stars
