Reader Recommendation: Amélie (2001)

I've heard a lot of people say how much they love Amélie, and from the brief trailers or bits that I've seen, I really didn't understand what it was about, or why I should see it, so I never did. Twitter user @staciedenola insisted I see this film, but her main reason was because it was a French film. I had made the mistake of admitting I didn't know of any French movies. After now watching it, I now understand why people's descriptions had such a hard time capturing my imagination. It's because this is a very odd movie which will be very hard to explain. You'll find my best attempt at doing just that after the jump!


Amélie is a girl with an active imagination. She's like this because of a very specific set of circumstances in the way she was raised, but it also meant that she's very shy and keeps to herself most of the time. One day, upon finding a small metal box of toys, she gets the idea to help people that she sees around her, starting by returning this 40-year-old box to the man who lost it as a boy. She proceeds to think up plots and schemes to secretly help and enrich the lives of others. Along her adventures, however, she comes across a stranger who seems to be just a quirky as she is. Even though she doesn't know much about the man, she starts to fall in love with him, and her own quest to discover who he is begins.

Amélie decides a Zorro disguise is the best decision for her next scheme

I have to start off by saying that there's not much that could be brought up as a negative against this movie. I liked, dare I say loved, almost every aspect of it. Almost every character stands out and has a very unique way about them. The Glass Man, and Amélie's mystery man are particularly good, but it's Amélie herself that steals the entire film. Audrey Tautou, who lends her mischievously cute smile that brings Amélie to life, is a knockout in my books. If by the end of the movie, you haven't fallen for her yourself, you are a cold-hearted individual. Then again, perhaps her very odd nature isn't for everyone, but those are the best kind of girls if I may say so.

One thing I could hardly believe, though, was that Amélie is played by the same woman who stars in The Da Vinci Code, which I also loved, and thought she was amazing in as well. This only emphasizes how great an actress she is because, other than being very cute, she doesn't seem like the same person in the slightest. I really should look into more of her films.

The entire film is filled with beautiful cinematography and camera shots such as this one of Amélie skipping stones

Besides great characters, the film also sports some amazingly setup camera shots and scenes. The cinematography is really something to admire here, and so many shots could be taken as still frames and could just be hung on the wall as art. It's not all just straight camera shots though, there are several instances of special effects and bursts of colour that explode on the screen when you're not expecting it, and they're great!

It's those effects and the way Amélie will look right at you through your screen, breaking the fourth wall that makes the movie so hard to explain. Are these effects all just in Amélie's mind as part of her imagination, or is this just a crazy fun fantasy world that she lives in? Usually they only happen to her or around her, but at one point a set of pictures from one of those instant photo-booths starts talking to Amélie's mystery man when she's no where around. Another instance happens when she's fallen asleep, and the pictures in her room start to come alive and talk to each other about her, and then her bedside lamp turns itself off. It's weird, unique, and so full of creativity that I can't help but love it.

Here's looking at you, kid.

With it's quirky nature, imaginative world in which regular objects can come to life, tendency to break the fourth wall, and alluring yet silly lead actress pretty much makes this a solid winner in my books. I'm so glad I finally watched this movie, and I'm kicking myself that it took me so long. It's impossible to properly describe this film in a reasonable way, because, simply put, this film defies reason. It takes logic and tosses it out the door and replaces it with goofy fun with a cute smile and radiant eyes. If you haven't seen this, RUN to wherever you enjoy movies and rent, buy, or kill to see this movie.

Sidenote: Is this where Travelocity got their idea for the traveling gnome?