Movie Review-Amélie

By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor

Amélie (4.5 stars)

Amélie (Tautou) looks at album.  Photo courtesy Miramax
Amélie (Tautou) looks at album. Photo courtesy Miramax

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, known in the states as Amélie, sweeps the viewers into a wonderful modern-day fairy tale—one definitely worth renting.

After Amélie (Audrey Tautou) discovers a box of trinkets in her apartment, she decides to track the owner and ultimately change her life.

She abducts her father’s garden gnome, and soon the father starts getting photographs of the gnome’s worldwide travels.

She hooks up a coworker with a regular as she seeks revenge on a mean-spirited grocer.

But her biggest task deals with her socially-awkward equal named Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz).

Nino collects discarded photo booth pictures but loses his album after chasing down a mystery man in the metro station.

Amélie stumbles across it and begins an endearing and intriguing cat-and-mouse game.

The viewer can’t help but smile at Amélie’s shyness and her quirkiness.

Her vivid imagination gives the movie a whimsical flair as she tries to deal with her emotions.

The movie is a gorgeous French film, rich with a great sense of humor and an oversized heart.

Amélie is filled with colorful characters such as the sweet but slightly slow grocer assistant, Lucien (Jamel Debbouze), and the glass man, Raymond (Serge Merlin).

Tautou and Kassovitz are pitch perfect for their roles.

Amélie has everything needed for a gorgeous whimsical romance and is the perfect film to rent whenever in need of a smile.