Fox Searchlight Pictures and Avalon Pictures

Written By: Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan

One of the most iconic figures of the 20th Century, aviatrix Amelia Earhart’s life and tragic death have been the subject of numerous books and documentaries. What ultimately led to Earhart’s demise flying over the Pacific Ocean, in June 1937, has become the subject of conspiracy theories for decades. Her legacy has endured not only because of the mystery of her disappearance, but also her status as an icon of feminism and a still-lingering interest in learning more about the woman who defied the conventions of her time and became one of the biggest celebrities of the 1930′s. With great disappointment I have to say that Mira Nair’s “Amelia” fails, at times spectacularly so, to be the biopic that Earhart so richly deserves.

Starring Hilary Swank in the title role, the film introduces us to Earhart in 1928, on the cusp of her first meeting with publishing tycoon, George Putnam (Richard Gere). Brought together by a socialite’s request to fund the first flight to feature a woman flying over the Atlantic Ocean, Putnam sees the opportunity to make Earhart a star. He also feels an immediate personal connection to Earhart, and their professional relationship eventually becomes a personal one, marrying in February 1931. Earhart’s marriage to Putnam is presented, seemingly rather accurately, as a very difficult choice for her, as she notably demands the word “obey” stricken from their marriage vows and steadfastly tells Putnam that she is, and always will be, a free spirit. In her travels, she meets noted pilot and TWA founder, Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor), and begins a lengthy affair with Vidal, much to her husband’s knowledge and dismay. Eventually, Earhart ends the relationship with Vidal and returns to her husband, conveniently for the viewer, on the eve of her fateful flight around the world.

One of the biggest problems with “Amelia” is how bland and uninspiring the film is. The confounding script by Oscar-winner Ron Bass (Rain Man) and Oscar-nominee Anna Hamilton Phelan (Gorillas In The Mist), not only fails to lift off the ground, it sputters and stalls on the runway. Whether it’s the distracting, big moment cues of Gabriel Yared’s score, or the intermittent stabs of random narration Nair uses to guide the film along, the film is a frustrating mash-up of moments that provide very little definition and understanding as to who Earhart truly was. “Amelia”‘s scope seems simply far too big for the quieter and contemplative filmmaking common with Mira Nair’s previous body of work.

Also aggravating are the details the film choses to ignore and downplay the significance of. Earhart’s hand in supporting and promoting The Ninety-Nines, a mentoring organization for female pilots still in existence today, is given less than a minute. Criticisms of Earhart being a risky and inadequate pilot, fair or not, are absent. Her status as a best-selling author and former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, apparently are not worthy of a mention. Additionally, while Earhart shows a motherly connection to Gore Vidal, Gene’s son, there is no acknowledgment that Earhart had two stepsons from her marriage to Putnam. Other record-breaking solo flights net barely a mention. What we end up witnessing is nothing more than a slanted highlight reel that is so afraid to show the flaws and realness in Earhart’s character, rendering us with nothing more than a hollow and empty shell of a person, someone seemingly on auto-pilot, moving from event to event.

In all fairness, technically the film looks great. The costumes seem perfectly suited for the late-1920′s and 1930′s and there are some beautifully composed shots of Earhart in the air. The sets and plane recreations all look authentic down to the last detail, and Nair’s integration of newsreel footage (both real and imagined), makes the film easy to engage with.

Hilary Swank looks remarkably similar to Earhart, accentuated by that use of newsreel footage. She is certainly game for the effort. Richard Gere plays George Putnam in a subdued manner, somewhere between constant fits of admiration and heartbreak for the love of his life. McGregor’s role as Gene Vidal is woefully underwritten and as Earhart’s navigator on her final flight, Christopher Eccleston receives nothing other than a drunken ramble of which to build any type of character on.

Watching “Amelia”, I could not help but think back to Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator”, which painted a real and honest picture of the tortured genius that was aviation legend, Howard Hughes. Earhart, by all accounts, was anything but tortured. Still, her story is a tale that should be told and told well. She was an innovator, a ground-breaker, someone equally heralded and criticized for her accomplishments and failures; namely, a real person. In short, everything that she was not in this film.

Maybe one day, we’ll get that movie.

Should I See It?

Fans of Hilary Swank will want to see this and if you are interested in Amelia Earhart, this is worth a look.

If you are a fan of historical stories or biopics.

NO

If you are tired of the high-profile studio films held for Oscar season, this film does seem to have its sights set on something other than simply telling Amelia Earhart’s story.

If you are an Earhart enthusiast or carry some knowledge regarding elements of her life, this film will most likely frustrate you in what it chooses to represent and ignore.