AMELIE
Released: November 16, 2001
Amelie (played by the charming Audrey Tautou), an innocent and naive girl in Paris, with her own sense of justice, decides to help those around her and along the way, discovers love. What makes "Amelie" such an engaging film is that it's beautiful to look at and makes you feel good - something Hollywood should be doing more often. This French movie was rightfully championed by critics and movie fans the world over. "Amelie" possesses such a bright and hopeful concept that even the most jaded action film fan will find it entertaining. Don't let the fact it's a foreign movie put you off. It looks and feels like a big budget Hollywood piece - only instead it doesn't suck. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who gave us "The City Of Lost Children" (1995) and "Delicatessen" (1991), we are transported into another world and judging by the smiles on the faces of people leaving the theatre, everyone was more than happy to go along for the ride. Sure, Jeunet also directed "Alien: Resurrection" (1997) but clearly he wasn't the right kind of director for that kind of movie. He succeeds brilliantly at bringing together a story full of great scenery and scenes. The characters are all memorable and likable, not something you can say of a lot of films. I strongly recommend "Amelie" and suggest you view the subtitled version rather than the dubbed version. Dubbed versions suck anyways, as you already know...
122 Minutes
Miramax