Recensioni de* critic*

Amélie remains an idealized version of a world that’s never existed, but one we all wish we lived in. The film seems both timeless and retro, able to speak to audiences no matter when they watch it... It might be a little contrived, but Amélie’s escapist charm is undeniable.

Freed from the darker imagination of Marc Caro, with whom Jeunet made Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children, the director went for full-blown feel-goodery, and it worked at the box office. It's European-style magic realism if you like.

Ten years on, Amélie's charms are still a tad saccharine, but what comes across most powerfully is Jeunet's athletic, playful directing style, a tour de force of tricks, gags and effects.

[T]he experience of watching is still like being swept along on a tidal wave of cheeky jokes and oddball observations, yet it still feels overlong and at times a little saccharine.

This massive hit at the French box office is the very dictionary definition of feel good - its irresistible charms will dispel the heaviest clouds hanging over the head of the gloomiest misanthrope.

Amélie is not a great film but it is entertaining and imaginative. Jeunet’s cartoonish style reaches often hilarious and surreal heights – virtually every scene is a frenzy of small, quick movements, darting eyes and tiny surprises.

In a sense, Amélie depends on the maniacal cataloguing of signifiers of a caricature France: Jeunet nails every last one. But he cleverly opts for a tone that is modest rather than grandiose, and situates his film in the realm of the trivial.

As our heroine, Tautou is an elfin charmer (comparisons to the original gamine, Audrey Hepburn, are flying off the shelf). The moral of her story is delivered with a bit of a heavy hand... But Tautou’s grace in delivery and ability to connect with the audience overrides the obviousness of the message.

Nobody is going to Amélie, of course, for a taste of realism. Rather, what it offers is a determinedly cinematic world in which references pile upon references to assemble a synthetic universe that resonates emotionally, reeking of familiarity and nostalgia.

It is so hard to make a nimble, charming comedy. So hard to get the tone right and find actors who embody charm instead of impersonating it. It takes so much confidence to dance on the tightrope of whimsy. “Amelie” takes those chances, and gets away with them.

"Amelie" is a safe bet, rich in humor, invention and beautiful compositions, with camera shots that are flashy but grounded in emotion and a wonderful leading lady who is 90 percent lovely and 10 percent freak.

"Amelie" is a movie for aesthetically hungry moviegoers: wildly amusing, sometimes sardonic and always touching. There's so much here, and all of it delightful, that you have to make an immediate resolution to see it over. For "Amelie" is a charm that bears watching again and again.