Can I call BS on “Amelia?” The movie claims to be inspired by two biographies written about female aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart; however, I have located the real source for the movie.
The movie is in fact derived from those cheesy inspirational poster that are plastered on the walls of workplaces and classrooms everywhere. You know, the ones with the cat reaching for the ball of string on a high table with the caption “You Can Do It!”
“Amelia” is quite literally the biggest cliché I have ever seen. I know that I use that word a lot in my reviews, but it has never been so dreadful as it is here. Sometimes clichéd movies are bearable, other times just annoying; Mira Nair’s movie is laughable. The dialogue is so uninspired that I found myself giggling at it.
The writing is the core of the problems, yet the movie doesn’t exactly help itself out. The acting is cringe-worthy, led by two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as the titular character. Despite playing a charismatic figure, she comes off as lifeless and dull. However, those last two adjectives seem more fitting for Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor as her husband and lover, respectively. Nair’s direction is unstable, and we are never sure if her portrait of Amelia is supposed to deify her or humanize her. In my opinion, she’s better left as a legend.
The movie in itself serves as an argument against the dreaded “Oscar Bait” films which audiences believe are tailored to win Academy Awards. According to my dictionary widget, one of the meanings of bait is “an allurement; a thing intended to tempt or entice.” In that sense, it absolutely falls flat on its face. “Amelia” is more likely to turn people away, not bring them in. Another meaning, in the context of a fisherman, is “food used to entice fish or other animals as prey.” In this context as well, it also fails. When Fox Searchlight went fishing for voters with “Amelia,” they might as well have held up a sign that said “WE WANT OSCARS.” No attempt is made to hide the real ambitions of this movie, and it stings all the more when it winds up as a bona fide flop. D / 
Marshall and the Movies 
What a cryin’ shame. I love me some Hillary Swank, but apparently even she couldn’t save this movie from drowning in its own sap.
This was such a piece of shit, I don’t even like to think about it.
Looked like crap, and well, it was crap. Not surprised!
Glad to know we can all agree on something!