French makes the heart grow fonder - Amelie Review

Referred by: Gerk, Nicole, Noel...

First of all, I am so happy that I chose this film to kick off the search for MY favorite movie. For years people have been telling me that they can't believe I've never seen it, and now that I have, I completely understand what they mean. This movie totally screams the kind of movie I'd identify with. First of all, the entire film is in French! Pouvez-vous dire impressionant!? TRANSLATION: can u say awesome!? Second of all, the movie is all about characters and their flaws-- flaws that make them lovable and endearing and most of all, relatable. Lastly, the title character lives alone and owns a cat. [But more on that note later-- I hear u Dindin!]

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

What stood out almost instantly was the film's similarities to the movie, The Royal Tenenbaums. We learn about our characters through a flowing narration and labeling captions that make me feel like I'm watching part Demetri Martin standup, part Wes Anderson movies-- but with constant French music playing in the background. The minute I knew I'd enjoy this movie is after seeing the bit about Amelie's parents and how they emptied their things only to place stuff back in proper order. I mean come on, who doesn't love a neurotic?

THE STORY

To be short, it's about a very quirky girl with a vast imagination & good intentions-- but is otherwise introverted to the point of disregarded loneliness. (Man does that strike a chord...) Luckily, she soon finds purpose in bringing about other people's happiness after reuniting an old box of childhood treasures to its adult owner. Almost immediately, we get a string of mini-plots that exhibit just how crafty and fantastic Amelie is. She puts bullies in their places, dabbles in matchmaking, tries to convince her father to travel by sending him pictures of his precious gnome in various landmarks around Europe... (Hee!) And while all this is going on, we realize the underlying question: Is Amelie capable-- or perhaps, brave enough to make herself happy?

THE *LOVE* STORY

You can't deny that in every movie there's some love going on somewhere. Here, Amelie's love interest takes the form of a fellow pariah obsessed with ripped up pictures of people hanging out at photo booths. He also works at a porno/peep show/sex toy type of business. Sounds creepy, but I can't say the boy aint cute in his own weird, quirky way. Their final scene near the end of the movie satisfies our official GIRLY MOMENT. Amelie, with a little push from her neighbor, is finally ready to run bravely into the arms of her paramour when tada! There he is, right at her doorstep. Do we get a dramatic declaration of love? A big Hollywood smooch? No. Instead, the two dreamers stare at each other for what feels like an eternity before she kisses him softly all over his face... before inviting him to do the same. Subtlety can go soooo far, boys. Take note!

BEST CHARACTER

Obviously, it's too easy to pick Amelie herself, so I'm gonna go with Dominique Bretodeau. Not only does the man drink cognac (waddup!), but he delivers a line in the movie that really hits home: "Life's funny. To a kid, time always drags. Suddenly you're fifty. All that's left of your childhood... fits in a rusty little box." All I can say is, we should all have a rusty little box somewhere and think about it from time to time. And get ready, coz I'm about to get all emo/borderline preachy on u. Here's the thing: I personally HATE people who feel like there's a rush, a timeline, an impending due date to "grow up." Needless to say, we gain responsibilities as we get older, but why must some people impose their own ideas of what being a "grown up" is onto you?! We're all different in our own unique way, and that is exactly what our rusty little boxes represent. So don't hit fifty so fast. Or if you must, don't forget about your box of treasures. Ok, I'm done with my rant.

AWESOME REVEAL [SPOILER ALERT!]

Figuring out that the mysterious man who took pictures of himself so often was actually just the photo booth repairman. Why is this awesome? Because before we actually know he's just a repairman, we explore Amelie's ideas about him being much more. She imagines him as mysterious-- perhaps a ghost or a man conveniently tragic, not wanting to be forgotten. This view of the Repairman's identity represents the same covert courtship Amelie and Nino go through. Their entire relationship is based on stratagems, secret notes, meeting times and places that Amelie creates. It's all very romantic and fairy tale-like-- but let's face it, how seriously can she believe in his affection for her if they've never even met? Thus, by letting Nino in on the secret of Mr. Repairman, Amelie is able to test his reaction to reality. By pulling the curtain on mystery photo booth guy and revealing him as a normal repairman doing his job, she is symbolically taking a risk, fearlessly leaping out of a dreamlike relationship to more realistic territory.

THE VERDICT: So why did I enjoy this movie......?

Well, Amelie is a dreamer. She's a bit of a wallflower with an imagination that's kept her entertained AND thus, protected for most of her life. [See Angela Chase, My So-Called Life or Ally Mcbeal-- 2 characters I also identify with.] There is a part in the movie where a caption reads: "Its called a reality check. The last thing Amelie wants." Well, I can relate. Because the truth is, reality can be very disappointing at times. But even if our imaginative world paints a better picture than the one were in, there has to be a balance between the two. This movie seems to find that balance; because while we absolutely adore Amelie's elaborate machinations, we also want her to stop with the silly games and just let herself be loved already.

Agree? Disagree? Thoughts...?