1
I think what made Amelia Earhart more interesting than most of the other historical figures I learned about in school was the mystery behind her disappearance. She was an enigma. Hilary Swank is the same way. She seems to appear every couple of years, give an amazing performance, and win an Oscar. I was hoping that the combination of these two fascinating women would result in a film that was just as interesting. Unfortunately, all I got was a by the numbers biopic. Directed at a snails pace by Mira Nair, the film is almost too reverential to its subject. The writers hit all of the important points of Earhart's life, but never delve any deeper than the superficial. Even worse, they take this larger than life character and do something I never thought would be possible: make her boring. While the film does have some interesting stories to tell (including her possible affair with pilot Gene Vidal), most of the movie sticks to standard biopic cliches. Swank does the best she can, but there's not much she can do with this underwritten role. One day, someone may write a film about Amelia Earhart that marries the excitement of her life with great storytelling. Until the, I'd rather she remain a mystery.
Let's see, how many movie-review cliches can we throw at this disaster? How about; "this movie never got off the ground"? How about; "This film developed engine trouble somewhere over an ocean of sleeping audience members"? Oh, never mind!