Amélie

Released:  November 2^nd, 2001

Rated:  R

Distributor:  Miramax

Starring:  Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Yolande Moreau

Directed by:  Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Written by:  Guillaume Laurant, Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Personal Bias Alert:  not a big fan of bright colors, likes movies with lots of substance

5 of 10

            Whimsy will never work for everyone.  There will always be the curmudgeons, the ones sitting in the back of the theater with their arms crossed and a dull, mildly irritated look affixed to their face.  Whimsy is a bold stylistic choice, and those are naturally divisive.  As one of those scowling curmudgeons, let me tell you that we don’t hate happiness or loathe you your fancy; we simply aren’t entertained by it.  ‘Do something else,’ we’re praying.  ‘Do something to make me care.’  But alas, whimsy is such a powerful force that it plasters everything, dulling even the biting and intelligent edges of a piece.

            No one will argue that Amélie isn’t filled with whimsy.  It wears its bright colors and clean Parisian streets with pride, giving its equally unrealistic heroine a world as pristinely fantastic to explore as anything found within a wardrobe.  Not that it doesn’t have its sexual edges, but when even the porn stores are neat and organized, you know you’ve traveled far from the real world.  There is an undeniable amount of joy to take from these settings.  They’re genuinely beautiful, rendered and captured with a loving care that’s impossible to miss.  It’s comforting to think of the world like this, as a place where nothing can go too wrong, but that same comfort saps the energy from every potential conflict.

            There is, in fact, several potential conflicts rolling around in this film.  Amélie has taken it upon herself to make others happier, and in searching out people’s needs, she often cuts to the heart of their problems.  These interactions require her to open up, something the painfully shy Amélie is hesitant to do, but in this sugar-coated world, when you help others, others help you.  It’s a nice thought, that you reap what you sow, but it’s numbing how long Amélie spends on these little tasks.  Frankly, in this world, you know everything’s going to work out, so watching the characters drag their feet does little more than drag out the runtime of the film.  There’s so much fluff, which I’m sure is delightful if you enjoy wallowing in a feel-good piece, but if you’re craving more substance, this film won’t even give you something solid enough to bang your head against.

            The performers are game, particularly the lead, Audrey Tautou.  She prances about, doing much of her job with well-controlled body language and facial expressions.  There’s a fanciful scene, one that actually worked for me, where a thought bubble of some imagined happy event plays out next to a close-up of her face.  The little smiles that flit across her face are darling, drawing you in while saying much about her character.  Much of the movie rests squarely on her shoulders, and she carries the load with the lightest of touches.

            There is one remarkably poor turn, something that can’t be written off as just not to my taste.  It’s a subplot where Amélie is trying to correct the behavior of a nasty man from the corner grocery store.  Only instead of doing anything that would actually help him, she simply torments him, breaking into his apartment and doing nastier things to him than he does to anyone else.  It’s an odd series of events because it’s so out of place.  Nothing good comes from his torture, no moment of happiness or redemption except the brief satisfaction the audience gets by seeing his comeuppance.  The vindictiveness is out of place not only for the character, for the film as a whole.

            Mostly, though, there’s few solid faults to find in Amélie.  It’s remarkably well made, and the story is sweet, if a bit overlong.  If you buy into the style, if that sort of thing sparks your fancy and makes you feel all warm and bubbly inside, then you’re sure to love this film.  If you don’t care for what this film is cooking, then you’ll likely to find this a boring romp like I did.

            Other Notes: 

Ø  This is very Wes Andersony in its use of color, framing, and character introduction.

Ø  That artichoke line is very clever:  “At least you’ll never be a vegetable – even artichokes have hearts."

Ø  I didn’t connect much to this movie, but the weird thing is, I’m a lot like Amélie.