The basic story is of the titular Amélie, played by Audrey Tautou, who’s completely adorable. After living a very sheltered life as a child, she grows up to be a waitress in Montmatre, in central Paris. It’s 1997, and on the night of Princess Diana’s death, Amélie finds a forty year old box of toys, and decides to find its owner. This sets her on a roaring rampage of good deeds, and the possibility of love for herself.
So, yes, it’s very, very sweet. Fortunately though, it’s also kind of perfect. There are just so many amazing things in this movie it’s difficult to know where to begin.
As mentioned before, Audrey Tautou is adorable as Amélie. She gives the character joy and life and just lights up the movie. Mathieu Kassovitz is good as love interest Nino, but the performance other than Tautou’s that stood out for me was Isabelle Nanty’s, as Georgette, the hilariously hypochondriacal cigarette counter girl. And, I don’t know if you’d call it a performance, but André Dussollier’s narration adds a layer of fairy tale surrealism. Not that the film is otherwise without surrealism- if movies had middle names, Amélie’s would be Surreal- but it’s still a welcome addition.
The most standout feature of Amélie, however, is how technically brilliant it is. It’s got an instantly memorable look (like all of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s films, apparently- not that I’ve seen them yet) - it’s beautifully bright and saturated with colours, and everything is tinged red or blue or green, but not in a boring way like The Matrix. It’s filled with fast camera movements as well as slow motion, but somehow these features lift the film rather than bog it down like they can in some other movies. There’s also some great, almost cartoonish visual effects- we see Amélie’s beating heart shine through her shirt, and at one stages she melts into a puddle on the floor. It’s like Ally McBeal without all the suck. The film also moves at such a speed that there is not a single dull moment.
I can’t finish this review without mentioning the music. Yann Tiersen’s score is amazing. It can keep the film going at a breakneck pace, or break your heart, or just make you smile. How it was not even nominated for a best score Oscar is beyond me. Getting a breathtaking score out of an accordion (!) is a feat that may not ever be matched.
So, I kind of like Amélie. It’s just one of the nicest, most heart-warming (in a good way) films ever made. If it doesn’t at least make you smile, you may need to get yourself an exorcist.
