Amélie

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.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A feel-good movie, in the absolute best sense.

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.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

This is the Paris -- and the mad, beautiful young Parisienne -- we look for in dreams.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The movie is never mechanical or emotionally contrived, and at its heart is a guileless, enchanting performance by Tautou.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

The charming movie, already an international success, seduces.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

There is no denying that Amélie is, to paraphrase its title, fabulous.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Amelie is joie de vivre in a nougat.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

A film that wants you to get happy.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Delightful and original, the film conjures up a corner of Paris distinct and specific, yet fairy-tale fanciful.

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.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A delicious pastry of a movie -- You see it, and later when you think about it, you smile.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Irresistibly endearing, with a visual verve all its own.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

A big-hearted French movie that shines with wit, beauty, humor, sunshine and the love of love.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

An endearing film, and a fascinating one.

Variety Lisa Nesselson

Fresh, funny, exquisitely bittersweet tour de force.

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.

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.

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.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

The screen is saturated with Gallic whimsy and the romance of Montmartre in the person of Amélie.

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.

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.

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!"

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.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The lanky, wide-eyed Tautou is so phenomenally charming -- her smile could sweeten vinegar -- as to make Amelie irresistible.

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.

Time Richard Corliss

You could get drunk, or ill, on the high dose of whimsy in Amelie.

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]

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.

Salon.com Charles Taylor

The problem is that the charm and good spirits of Amélie feel calculated rather than natural.

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.