Rent Amélie on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Guillaume Laurant and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (scenario), Guillaume Laurant (dialogue)
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In this French movie, despite being caught in her imaginative world, young waitress Amélie decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey during which she finds love.
Verdict
It's cute, a movie that's not about drama or a villain. A woman wants to make the world a better place and help those around her. It's a quirky movie exemplified by the charming Amélie. Her desire to help others pays dividends by bettering her own situation as the movie explores loneliness and connection. Just one act of kindness can flourish into something so much bigger.
Watch It.
Review
The original title's direct translation is "The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain."
This has a unique beginning, introducing her parents through their benign yet silly likes and dislikes. That sets the stage for this movie which is focused on the little things, a woman with a desire to help others.
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| Audrey Tautou plays Amélie |
She's home schooled as a child, and that only helps to further develop her active imagination. She had no classmates and interactions due to her anti-social father and a mother that dies young. Amélie is isolated, creating her own worlds to explore. She leaves home as soon as she can, working at a cafe. The narrator informs us that her life will change significantly over the next two days.
We're provided a preview of the moment her life changed. Initially it seems it's the death of Princess Dianna on the news, but that was only the spark. That news event leads to Amélie finding a hidden tin full of childhood treasures behind a bathroom tile. She decides to return it to the little boy, now grown up, that must have hidden it. First she must figure out who he was. After a series of mis-steps she finds him and returns the box without revealing who she is. She even manages to be in the same bar he goes into after he receives it and hears his joy.
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| Audrey Tautou plays Amélie |
That sparks a desire to help everyone in Amélie's life. This isn't about the drama that generates or her actions having the reverse effect. What happens is exactly what she desires. The quirky and charming Amélie overcomes minor obstacles to improve the world. She plays match maker, finds a way for her father to vicariously travel the world, and even helps a painter.
While her exploits help others, she in turn develops an interest in a man. She chooses to pursue it when the painter gives her a message to be vulnerable and chase her crush. She's been lonely, in part due to her upbringing and her imagination being a substitute for relationships. While the happiness she finds at the conclusion may be derived from the burgeoning relationship, it also could be the positive influence she's had on the people in her orbit.
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