Amelie

I know this has happened to you - you watch a movie, love it to pieces, forget about it, and then years later think, "I should watch that movie again, I loved it so," only to be disappointed that it is not as good as you remembered. I originally watched Amelie my senior year of college with my roommate and her friend, after his prompting that it was a "must see." It was one of my first forays into foreign film, and I went in nervously (it is in French). After seeing it, I could not imagine it not being in French - the color, the sideways glances, the clothes, the story - it was all so beautiful, so light and lovely and mysterious - so...French! The music from the film is some of the most perfectly synchronized music in a movie I have heard. Lilting, airy, with a subtle tinge of sadness.

So, this weekend I thought it was time to see if the film was as good as I remembered. However, it was not as I remembered - it was vastly better. Beautiful is the only word I can think of right now to express the "feel" of this movie. It is a simple story - girl decides she wants to perform acts of kindness anonymously and, as a result of this, embarks on a quirky adventure to get to know and eventually meet a gentleman much like herself. Sure, the premise sounds like it would fit well into a romantic comedy and, while Amelie is both romantic and comedic, it is so much grander, brighter, and more heartfelt than 99% of romantic comedies. Even now after watching it, I think back to the scenes or the people in the movie and cannot help but smile. The film has a lovely tone and ambiance that fits perfectly with the plot, characters, music, location, and language of the movie. Amelie is a fantastic rainy day movie - one that you pop in when you want to watch a movie but do not know what. It is just happy.

(Note: While it is happy and such, it is also not your PG-13 romantic comedy; meaning there is some adult content to it. I would hate to recommend a movie and you be unexpectedly shocked by something of this nature. If you want to know the adult content details before renting/purchasing this movie, please click here.)