Hilary Swank would seem to be the perfect choice to play female aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), however the two-time Oscar winner (while a terrific actress) can't do much with this stolid biography of the ace flying legend--it just isn't there in the material or the handling. Amelia Earhart's colorless love life (she cheated on husband George Putnam with pilot and single father Gene Vidal) sadly takes precedence over her love for flying...and when she finally does get into the pilot's seat, we are treated to flashbacks the minute Earhart is airborne. Earhart, the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic, was ultimately a tragic figure, her plane, also carrying navigator Fred Noonan, disappearing July 2, 1937 over the central Pacific Ocean while on the last leg of their around-the-world flight. The final moments of the film depicting Earhart's ordeal (low on fuel, she is unable to communicate with Coast Guard radio operators) is taut and fraught with emotion. However, the majority of the picture is enervated and spiritless, with disappointing casting of too-modern actors in period roles and an awful lot of footage of Swank staring out the plane window. Screenwriter Ronald Bass reportedly completed several drafts of the script before Anna Hamilton Phelan was brought in to do a rewrite (based on two books, "East to the Dawn" by Susan Butler and "The Sound of Wings" by Mary S. Lovell); unfortunately, most of the excitement of Earhart's story is held in check, off-screen, with newspaper headlines informing us of her progress. The handsome production has polish, but the expensive detail doesn't enliven the core of the material. Not even Stuart Dryburgh's cinematography can make the endeavor worthwhile. ** from ****

I was a little surprised at all of the negative commentary here. I found the movie's acting appropriate. It told a story without being judgmental. Really, who needs to know the reasons behind why Ms. Earheart had two guys on the edge all of the time. The reasons seemed quite clear to me. She was a free spirit and on the move all of the time. She did what men did in an era when women weren't supposed to do what men did, flying or otherwise.She challenged the limitations for women in the 1930's. Who needs excuses for that. And, she took a risk that would have won her big if she and her navigator had found that impossible island, and other factors had not played against her landing on it, instead of her disappearing into the ocean.Yes, I was surprised to learn that she had a navigator on board because I had always thought she 'died alone'.The story is told well. The filming, in my humble opinion, was cinematic and appropriately framed. I was disappointed to see that the film did not, apparently, win any awards.It is also a love story of great interest in the end.I applaud this movie BECAUSE it did endeavour to be FACTUAL instead of being on the edge of someone's perverted sense of fantasy or sexual voyeurism. I will be buying the DVD for 'my collection' on the merit of the story and documentation that comes along with movie...An interesting story presented in a manner that maintained my interest throughout... the stars in this movie all performed the characters well, mimicking what is seen in the real life clips that accompany the DVD. To me, that bears more merit than seeking to entice the audience through titillating explanation of Amelia's sexuality. There is enough of that stuff available in other movies. For once, a movie that concentrated on THE STORY and not the story the sexually starved of our nation would have liked to have seen???

One can't but help that feel that this a movie about romance; the love affair between Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) and the freedom of flight and flying plus the romantic interludes with her husband, George Putnam (a bespectacled Richard Gere).There is also the motive of a woman, fighting so hard in a man's world, none more so than in aviation - and succeeding. Romantic comedy director, Mira Nair, most famous for Monsoon Wedding is the unlikely choice to take the reigns here.Unfortunately, for my eyes and ears, it's just too soft, both in its narrative focus and its substance. Predictable and to a certain extent, even though we might not know her actual story, we can guess it, until at which point comes the 'biggy', it's an anti-climax and too late to save the movie.The role of Earhart might not have had the juicy possibilities of Oscar standard acting as Swank's two Academy wins and thus, the persona she projects just doesn't seem to tie in with what we would expect a maverick and pioneer to be - and need to be like to simply get on with their venture.Richard Gere is O.K., in a role that again just seems too obliging and mushy. Brits in major roles, Christopher Eccleston as Fred Noonan, who, if I recall plays an American pilot who liked a guzzle of booze too often and was Earhart's co-pilot on the her last flight and higher billed, Ewan McGregor. He plays Gene Vidal, father of Gore and with whom Earhart has an extra-marital 'jaunt' with. McGregor is unusually forgettable in the role and I already can't quite remember all that the pair did.Hollywood did films like these (admittedly with men, all round) which were a dime a dozen, in the 50's & 60's - and they had bite and a sense of heroic purpose. More gun-ho, admittedly but better entertainment.Amelia isn't a total waste of time, even though at times you may wonder if it is during its near two hours. And you will learn something, if you can keep paying attention...

A very standard biopic.While there is nothing horribly wrong with any of this movie (it IS better than its 37% metascore implies), nothing really comes to life in Amelia either. I wanted the subject matter to soar but it doesn't ... it is a rather typical, ho-hum story about someone who did something great.For some reason so many of these stories forget to tell us why the person the film is about was great. The film decides that showing Amelia get into a plane and fly should do the trick and please the masses; but I think that sells her short! The cinematography is lovely and there was gorgeous, sweeping scenery; but that isn't enough for me. Is it wrong to want a glimpse into the life of this legend? The relationships in the film are all cut-and-paste and were only emphasized when the story needed them to further a tangent. The movie felt hollow and incomplete. Earhart is (again) a legend that deserved more. Swank, though -- in my opinion -- does a fine job with the role so the fault should not lay at her feet (it's not her best work; but it wasn't the best-written role of hers either).Perhaps the filmmakers had lofty intentions and they just didn't measure up in the editing room. While Amelia isn't a total waste of time, I would assume reading a biography on the Kansas-born aviatrix would be more fulfilling.