By day, Amélie Poulain is a waitress at a Parisian café. By night, she is serial do-gooder. Her story is captured in France's most popular film of 2001, Amélie. People around the world fell in love with the whimsical waitress and her assortment of friends.
Amélie's refreshing humor is the perfect way to unwind after a long day of work. The existential chain of events and random humor are undeniably French. Hollywood would never have produced such a unique movie.
Magnificent footage of Paris gives this film a taste of Old World charm. Interestingly enough, the Montmartre district's usual graffitti, litter and crowds of tourists were excluded from the footage. This is the Paris of postcards.
Raised by loving, yet overprotective parents, Amélie (Audrey Tautou) has only one childhood friend -- her goldfish. After it attempts a suicidal jump from its bowl, Amélie is forced to bid him adieu.
Amélie grows up to be a fanciful, timid woman who relishes the simple pleasures of life, such as sinking her hand into a bag of grain and pondering life from Montmartre's lookout point.
Life continues in a monotonous fashion -- until Amélie stumbles upon a long forgotten cigar box of childhood trinkets.
Struck by a fervor of goodwill, she sets out to find the rightful owner and discovers her purpose: to help others.
Amélie befriends Raymond Dufayel (Serge Merlin), the "man of glass," who has not left his apartment in 20 years and who is obsessed with replicating Renoir's masterpiece, Luncheon of the Boating Party. The friendship teaches both of them important life lessons.
By day, Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz)works at a porn store. By night, he collects discarded pictures from photo booths in the Metro (the Parisian subway system) for his scrapbook. After finding this book in the street, Amélie's next mission is to return it to Nino.
One complication arises: Amélie is too lovestruck to reveal herself to Nino. Will Amélie ever gain the courage to face him?
I highly recommend finding out. For a few hours, you will be carried halfway around the world, where a young, timid waitress discovers her fabulous destiny.
The movie's creative humor appealed to me. Scriptwriters created a seemingly random mix of characters. Only in Amélie would the hero be a porn store employee and a scavenger for photos in the Metro.
Perhaps Amélie's appeal is that it helps moviegoers forget about their day-to-day burdens and see the world through Amélie's wide-eyed wonder. After watching this movie, you will be inspired to perform random acts of kindness.
