Amelia - Movie Review

Amelia tells the story of, well, Amelia Earhart - who else do you know by the name of Amelia? The focus is her aviation career - there's some scant back story about her love of flying but precious little of how she got to where she would be able to take advantage of the opportunity to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Not solo, of course, and not actually piloting the plane but why quibble? A record is a record. We learn she's a seeker of adventure and there's much about her setting those records while her worried loved ones stay behind. Finally, she makes her ill-fated last voyage and from what little I know of what actually happened the movie appears to depict it a fairly straight forward manner.

The actors are all likable in their roles. Hilary Swank is utterly convincing - looks like her Academy Award was justly given - and Richard Gere is handsome as her husband, George Putnam, who I didn't know Earhart was married to. I liked Ewan McGregor, too. The costumes and sets all appear authentic but probably much more glamorous than they actually were. My eye isn't good enough to tell the difference between the digital effects and actual action but the air photography and landscapes are wonderful.

A good way to spend a Fall afternoon.