“I just want to be free, you can’t stop me!”
No one is stopping you, Amelia.
This is really unfortunate, because instead of an uplifting tale about a female pilot breaking new ground for her gender, the film feels like it’s rushing towards the inevitable tragedy making stops at seemingly random points in Amelia’s life line. The sum of all things Amelia in this film only paints the faintest character and what we’re left with isn’t any more interesting than what we knew before seeing the film.
Does it really interest you that Amelia Earhart might have had an affair? Well, don’t be, because the marriage was essentially open. Did you know that in 1930, Earhart set two speed records for flying? Well, we don’t get to see that, we just see the news headlines.
I wish this movie was close enough to fixable that I could write something like: “If only there were more flying scenes” or “If only Ewan McGregor as Gene Vidal had more screen time.” But I don’t think either of those things would have helped Amelia, because no one ever tried to stop Earhart from flying. As long as she could use her celebrity to raise money, she could use that money to fly wherever she wants. And we never get the idea that the Earhart/Putnams are poor.
Really, this dull film barely reaches the minimum requirements for a dramatic story. You’d be better off smoking a joint and going to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum if you want to learn something dramatically. At least Night At The Museum 2 taught us that when Earhart comes back from the dead in the Smithsonian, she looks like Amy Adams in tight and attractive pants. Already ten times more interesting.
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