Throughout history, there is a select group of women who had impacted their time period so greatly that they are remembered and revered to this day. Anne Frank who taught the world that courage and hope can come from the smallest of people. Rosa Parks did not move from her seat to allow injustice to continue. Susan B. Anthony believed that women should have a voice, and she fought all her life for it. Marie Curie won a Nobel prize for her work in radioactive studies, the first women ever to win or even get nominated. Mother Teresa helped the poor and dying in India until her last breath was used. Though she did not change laws or discover new scientific theories, Amelia Earhart taught women to live their life free from fear and let their dreams take flight. Earhart was an astounding women who tested the limits of flight. With such a weighty person to base a movie on, Hollywood had a tall order to fill when making this movie. Try as they did, Amelia did not ever get completely off the ground.

The film Amelia focuses on Earhart's career as a pilot, from humble beginnings to the height of her fame. Amelia, played by the amazingly talented Hilary Swank, is a woman who does not take 'no' for an answer from anybody. Throughout the film people try to tell her that what she is dreaming is impossible, it cannot be done. Every flight she takes is another risk, but to her it is another chance to be up in the sky where she feels she belongs. After crossing the Pacific Ocean by herself, she feels that her next mission is to fly around the world. The odds are against her and everyone around is telling her 'no' Amelia won't rest until she has done so, or dies trying.

Anyone who has ever taken a history class growing up remembers vaguely her story and what happens to her. This movie felt like a vague summary of her life and romances than an actual portrayal of the Earhart America has come to love. Don't get me wrong, Swank does a REMARKABLE job in the role. Her speeches she gave about bravery and following dreams were wonderful. I believed everything about her when watching the movie, but the writing and plot only hindered Amelia from completely capturing an audience. The other actors including Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor played their roles respectively and admirably, but not enough to win any awards. With the added use of stock footage of the actual Amelia, the film became just another piece of the blur that was those old reels.

Amelia is rated PG for sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking. I at first thought it was odd to have smoking as a reason for the rating until I thought about it, the film makes smoking look very cool and hip. This is an understandable notion considering the time period the movie is set, but it does give a message to kids who are easily influenced. It has brief and mild sensuality and language which never got to a point to get up in arms about because of the rating. There was a little girl about eight at the screening and I did not ever feel uncomfortable watching the movie knowing she was in the audience. I would recommend Amelia who enjoys a good Swank film, and enjoys movies set in the roaring 20's, but the writing and style of filming is not enough to capture huge crowds.

I give Amelia three out of five propellers. While Hilary Swank and the rest of the cast carry their weight through the film, it seems the writers decided to throw out some of the depth and beauty of Amelia to make the plane a little lighter. While it might fly adequately, it is not enough to make the flight worthwhile for any passenger.

-Kathryn Ryan