Amelia (2009)

Director:

Mira Nair

Writers (WGA):

Ronald Bass (written by) and
Anna Hamilton Phelan (written by) ...

Release Date:

23 October 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Defying The Impossible. Living The Dream.

Plot:

A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world. |

Plot Keywords:

Around The World | Amelia Earhart | 1937 | Pacific Ocean | Pilot

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Hilary Swank	...	Amelia Earhart
Richard Gere	...	George Putnam
Ewan McGregor	...	Gene Vidal
Christopher Eccleston	...	Fred Noonan
Joe Anderson	...	Bill
Cherry Jones	...	Eleanor Roosevelt
Mia Wasikowska	...	Elinor Smith
Aaron Abrams	...	Slim Gordon
Dylan Roberts	...	Leo Bellarts
Scott Yaphe	...	William Dalten
Tom Fairfoot	...	Balfour
Ryann Shane	...	Young Amelia
William Cuddy	...	Gore Vidal
Elizabeth Shepherd	...	Frances Putnam
Richard Donat	...	Gallagher

MPAA:

Rated PG for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking.

Runtime:

USA:111 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #45262) | Singapore:PG | Ireland:PG | Hong Kong:I | Australia:M | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

AE Electra Productions

Trivia:

The movie shows Earhart finishing third in the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women's Air Derby in 1929, but does not explain why. At the last stop before the final leg of the race to Cleveland, Earhart and her friend Ruth Nichols were tied for first. Nichols took off right before Earhart, but her aircraft clipped a tractor on the runway and flipped over. Instead of taking off, Earhart ran to Ruth's plane to drag her to safety. After Earhart was sure that Nichols was not seriously hurt, she took off for Cleveland but finished third largely due to her delayed takeoff.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene at the airport in Hawaii, a modern plane can be seen far in the background.

Quotes:

George Putnam: Come back to me.
Amelia Earhart: Always.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Jay Leno Show: (#1.32)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Clarinet Bandleader

Lost at Sea Indeed!

Occasionally a movie comes along from Hollywood that sweeps you away with the breadth and scope of its sheer awfulness.

True story - a hank of hair at the International Women's Air and Space Museum in Cleveland thought to be Amelia Earhart's was recently discovered to be, in fact, just thread. This movie is the cinematic equivalent. This movie, thought to be about Amelia Earhart is, in fact, a threaded bundle of clichés and overwrought soap opera moments. If Hilary Swank gave one more brave toothy grin, I thought I was going to have to leave. But I stuck it out to see which was worse, the unconvincing acting, the poor casting, Richard Gere, the costumey looking costumes, or the dreadful Peter Pan soundtrack. But the winner, I think, is the screenplay, which rattles off one maudlin insight after another alternating with scenes of stunning mediocrity played without conviction or chemistry.

If some of this is based on Earhart's real words, then maybe she's just not that interesting a subject for film. My guess is that the forever overly earnest Hillary Swank, as executive producer, buoyed by research and good intentions, convinced Mira Nair that her poetic approach to film-making would be perfect against the pilot's own words of inspiration. The result is a disaster. When you're sitting in the theater having shelled out your ten bucks and you can't wait for Amelia Earhart to die, you know you've gone to the wrong movie.