Amelia Earhart was a risk taker. She flew solo over both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and died trying to fly around the world. Regrettably, ""Amelia,"" the new film about Earhart's life, is not able to take off beyond the basic biopic structure.
The safe nature that fills the entire production is unfortunate, as the components are there to make a captivating film. The shots of Amelia flying over Africa are gorgeous and all the period details feel spot-on, but the characters feel tired. It is ironic that a film about a woman who fought against the restrictions of society never takes any chances of its own.
Richard Gere does a wonderful job as George Putnam, Amelia's husband and chief promoter who always came up with new ways to pay for her flying. Gere's performance captures Putnam's awe and love for a woman he knows he can never completely have. It is a shame that Hilary Swank is unable to match him.
Swank is a good physical match for the character, but she never seems to connect with Earhart as a person, and the script's dialogue isn't doing her any favors. She delivers fake and forced lines that are meant to convey Earhart's passion for flying. While lines like that may have looked brilliant and deep on the page, they fail when delivered on-screen.
The one moment when Swank sparkles is during a nighttime flight with Eleanor Roosevelt (Cherry Jones) over Washington D.C. The scenes of these two women who defied the gender roles of their time are truly magical. Roosevelt's joy when Earhart gives her the wheel is the film's best moment of excitement, wonder and passion.
The other supporting performances are all solid. Ewan McGregor is charismatic, even though he is underused, as Gene Vidal, the other love of Earhart's life. The movie tiptoes around Earhart's affair with Vidal, which limits the audience's connection to Earhart. Without Vidal, or even Putnam, stirring Earhart's passion, the audience is left wondering what we are supposed to take away from her character.
Director Mira Nair does a great job with the portrayal of Earhart's failed last leg of her attempted flight around the world. Nair is able to build tension even though we already know how the story ends. Swank's work in the final scenes is simple and powerful.
However, Nair only briefly, and incompletely, touches on the controversy around how Earhart financed her flights. This was a little known fact about Earhart's life that could have been very interesting on-screen.
""Amelia"" simply never leaves the runway. While it does an admirable job depicting Earhart's accomplishments, it doesn't show us who she was outside of the cockpit. We get to know Earhart the pilot, but not Amelia.
Grade: C
