MOVIE REVIEW - Amelia

Hillary Swank is back and has everyone wondering if she can pick up a third Oscar with this new bio-pic, Amelia.

Amelia is the story of the legendary Amelia Earhart, the pioneering aviator from the 1920's and 30's. In addition to her many incredible aviation feats, is just as well known for being lost forever somewhere in the Pacific during her attempt to circumnavigate the world. A feat that no one had ever done in 1937, the year of her death at 40 years old.

Amelia stars Swank and Richard Gere as her long time lover and husband. This movie walks you through her years as a young pilot, and then into real adulthood as a pilot, pioneer, wife, friend and lover. Amelia attempts to show the complete woman that Earhart was both in the cockpit and in her personal life. And for the most part is very interesting.

Amelia doesn't wear out it's welcome, it is a tidy one hour and forty-five minutes. So that's not the trouble. Amelia starts off very faced paced, and with great energy. It does get a bit bogged down around it's middle, and we fly off to a love triangle that involves her, her husband and another aviator. Although this is compelling for a while, we stay there far too long. And it never really recovers completely. Ironically, just as Amelia ran out of gas in real life, Amelia sort of runs out of gas at the movie theater 72 years later.

But it's not a wash out. Swank is fantastic again in a major motion picture. Her portrayal as Earhart in uncanny in both look and speech. It is a command performance of the first order. Interesting for her, she can do a lot with a little. Amelia is not loaded down with long speechy, preachy dialogue as many bio-pics can from their main character. But it is a simple portrayal with a to the point script where she can shine, and Swank is magnificent yet again.

There is a wonderful display too of fantastic vintage aircraft to marvel at, and the costuming is really great. If there had been a stronger musical soundtrack from the era, it would have transported you back to the 30's much easier, I thought they really came up short there. Gere and the supporting cast though are great, and Amelia survives....at least here.

Amelia. Good night at the movies. I thought it would, it could, and probably should have been better a little better. But Swank if terrific. Will she win again? She'll be in the conversation, but not a lock like Million Dollar Baby. But she is worth the ticket. - Every time!