Competently, if conventionally told, Mira Nair’s romance adventure “Amelia” is initially a moderately engaging, if still largely unremarkable picture short on the zest (and romance) needed to fuel this meant-to-be inspirational tale of an ambitious dreamer. But by the time it finally reaches its long winded voyage, it’s simply a dull and prosaic effort one wants to get over with already.
Only in this weak cinematic year are an adequate performance by Hilary Swank (is that an meant to be some kind of accent?) touted as an Oscar hopeful, and dry, unremarkable turns by Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor do it no favors (Ewan is that it? Have you already offered the best you ever will?).
Compelling enough (though just barely), the aviatrix biography offers little to no thrills or surprises and after the 90 minute mark, there’s a sharp decrease in narrative fuel to help it cross the finish line. It’s two hours long in total, and by the time the story coasts to its conclusion (spoiler: Amelia Earhart doesn’t make her global aviation journey, not a spoiler if you have a passing education), disinterest and butt-seat boredom has long set in and the climax is but a whimper– not emotional, heartfelt or absorbing.
Ostensibly possessing what Oscar puts a premium on (or used to, we’ll see if they regress again), sweeping musical cues, portrayals of brave and fearless adventurers (especially female nonconformists) and pretty period piece decor and costumes, what “Amelia” lacks are key elements like drama, heart and interesting or likable characters.
Gere is as captivating as sawdust, McGregor shows up in costume to read his lines and Swank is… acceptable… as the adventurous, sometimes-reckless and independent woman that no man can cage (yes, it’s rather full of those pedestrian sentiments). Virginia Madsen apparently played a role in the film somewhere, but she’s been completely cut out (god, what another subplot would have done to the plodding length) and while Christopher Eccleston puts in an admirable turn as an alcoholic navigator, it’s far too little of a role to benefit the whole.
Chemistry between Swank and Gere is non-existent and what light drama does arrive from Amelia’s adulterous dalliances (with McGregor) and mild aviatrix adversary (Mia Wasikowska, who generally has nothing to do), is largely benign and inert. There’s just absolutely nothing to grab hold of or sink your teeth into and the mainly toothless “Amelia” is lacking in any form of piquancy or substance.
Press notes for the film call the picture an “action adventure,” and the latter part of that description is patently untrue. The most thrilling scene in the film is a failed take-off, in and of itself a largely anticlimactic gesture. Her final fate is a tired sequence of tiny mistakes and miscalculations that lead up to her “tragic” (at this point uneventful and flat) demise.
Grounded before it even takes off, a bird clipped of its wings — pick your aviation cliche. All of them are fitting for this formulaic and mostly tedious picture trying to evoke the classic Hollywood style and coming up empty and hollow. If you had this one on your Oscar radar consider your trailer navigation skills in need of major fine tuning, but at least we can all just cross it off our lists. [C-]
