| 100 |
Film Threat
Ross Williams
Joyous. This is a film that will put a goofy grin on your face from the opening frame, through to the credits, out into the lobby, the whole way home, and possibly even till you fall asleep.
|
| 100 |
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
A feel-good movie, in the absolute best sense.
|
| 100 |
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
A movie for aesthetically hungry moviegoers: wildly amusing, sometimes sardonic and always touching. There's so much here, and all of it delightful.
|
| 100 |
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
This is the Paris -- and the mad, beautiful young Parisienne -- we look for in dreams.
|
| 100 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
The movie is never mechanical or emotionally contrived, and at its heart is a guileless, enchanting performance by Tautou.
|
| 91 |
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
The charming movie, already an international success, seduces.
|
| 90 |
The New York Times
A.O. Scott
There is no denying that Amélie is, to paraphrase its title, fabulous.
|
| 90 |
Washington Post
Rita Kempley
Amelie is joie de vivre in a nougat.
|
| 89 |
Austin Chronicle
Kimberley Jones
A film that wants you to get happy.
|
| 88 |
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
Delightful and original, the film conjures up a corner of Paris distinct and specific, yet fairy-tale fanciful.
|
| 88 |
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
At two hours, the movie is probably 15 minutes too long -- the final half-hour in particular could have used some trimming -- but complaining about having too much of a good thing makes one sound like a grouch.
|
| 88 |
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
A delicious pastry of a movie -- You see it, and later when you think about it, you smile.
|
| 88 |
USA Today
Claudia Puig
Irresistibly endearing, with a visual verve all its own.
|
| 83 |
Portland Oregonian
Shawn Levy
A big-hearted French movie that shines with wit, beauty, humor, sunshine and the love of love.
|
| 80 |
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
An endearing film, and a fascinating one.
|
| 80 |
Variety
Lisa Nesselson
Fresh, funny, exquisitely bittersweet tour de force.
|
| 75 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
A charmer, a movie whose embrace of cinema is so passionate it could be mistaken for an embrace of life.
|
| 75 |
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
The barometer for whether you'll enjoy Amélie is whether you liked "Moulin Rouge" last summer. If snappy visuals, tangy colors, mood-drenched scenery, and a good-hearted heroine make you as happy as a box of Parisian chocolates, it's definitely for you.
|
| 75 |
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
A slick, sweet, fast-paced, feel-good romantic fantasy that's fairly irresistible if you can keep your cynicism in check for a couple of hours.
|
| 70 |
Village Voice
J. Hoberman
The screen is saturated with Gallic whimsy and the romance of Montmartre in the person of Amélie.
|
| 70 |
New York Magazine
Peter Rainer
Jeunet wants us to know that times are hard for dreamers and that one shouldn't pass up a chance for true love. He means it, no doubt, but he doesn't have the simplicity of soul to quite bring off the sentiment. Still, we're charmed by the attempt.
|
| 63 |
New York Daily News
Jack Mathews
Whether you're charmed or bored by the movie depends entirely on your feelings for Amelie, a young woman whose hyper-quirky personality both takes some getting used to and grows old fast.
|
| 63 |
Baltimore Sun
Chris Kaltenbach
Akin to being force-fed sugary confections from a bottomless bowl. At first the idea seems just grand, but after a while, all you want to do is scream, "Enough!"
|
| 60 |
New Times (L.A.)
Bill Gallo
Not a film for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a little sensory overload, some spirited intellectual gymnastics and an introduction to the most intriguing new actress Europe has produced in years, get in line with the rest of the thrill-seekers.
|
| 60 |
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
The lanky, wide-eyed Tautou is so phenomenally charming -- her smile could sweeten vinegar -- as to make Amelie irresistible.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Reader
Ronnie Scheib
The ease with which the perky, big-eyed heroine ingeniously succeeds in improving the lot of everyone around her and the painterly manner in which reality in every inch of the frame is "improved" constitute both the "quirky" charm and the pure fishiness of the film.
|
| 50 |
Time
Richard Corliss
You could get drunk, or ill, on the high dose of whimsy in Amelie.
|
| 40 |
The New Yorker
Anthony Lane
As a director, he seems incapable of trusting his actors to carry the mood, preferring always to lend them a backup -- jokes, fripperies, kooky camera angles -- that they don't require. [5 Nov 2001, p. 105]
|
| 40 |
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
Features an aggressive, in-your-face romanticism that's noticeably lacking in genuine warmth. While its story of lonely misfits searching for love has appealing moments, more often it turns into an overbearing fable overburdened with fake joie de vivre.
|
| 40 |
Salon.com
Charles Taylor
The problem is that the charm and good spirits of Amélie feel calculated rather than natural.
|
| 20 |
LA Weekly
Manohla Dargis
Sucks -- because it's a frenetic bore that insists on its audience's adoration while making no demands upon their intelligence.
|
