Amelie

  • Review Date: May 19, 2003
  • R
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2001
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Thoughtful, charming for 16+.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while the movie is like a fairy tale, there are some graphic moments. One character works in a porn shop, and we see him surrounded by sex toys. There are comic but explicit sexual situations. There is a reference to suicide and a child's mother is killed in an accident.

  • Shows how random acts of kindness and generosity can be truly rewarding.
  • Amelie quietly encourages her reclusive father to go out and see the world. She needs a big push, however, to come out from behind her disguises and ruses to finally get the guy.
  • Not applicable.
  • Character works in porn shop. Comic sexual situations -- explicit, but only brief glimpses of bare-breasted characters having orgasms.

What's the story?

Amélie (Audrey Tatou) grows up the lonely child of parents who do not know how to show their love for her. She becomes a thoughtful, quiet, observant girl who decides to change the lives of those around her, opening hearts to the adventure that is waiting for them, taking revenge on a cruel grocer, bringing together a couple who are afraid to show their longing for each other, and bringing the outside world to a reclusive painter and to her own father. But will she do for herself what she has done for others and find love with the mysterious collector of rejected photo booth pictures? And who is the "ghost" who appears in so many of the torn photos?


Is it any good?

 

AMELIE is filled with airy whimsical charm the way that a chocolate soufflé is filled with air. Audrey Tatou is just right as Amélie, a perfect gamine in a Lulu haircut.

Writer-director Jean-Pierre Jeunet gives the story a feeling somewhere between fairy tale and documentary. His behind-the-scenes glimpses of the characters' likes and dislikes – from cleaning out a toolbox and getting fingers pruny in the bath to sticking a hand in a barrel of grain and cracking the sugar on a crème brulée -- are deliciously particular and somehow very touching.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about why Amélie wants to help people from a distance and is reluctant to show herself to the man who attracts her. Why do so many people need outside help to find happiness? Is there someone you would like to help?


This review was written by Nell Minow
Adult
July 27, 2011
 
Quirky and Gorgeous -A Must-See for Older Teens and Adults!
Amelie is a quirky, gorgeous, candy-hued film that makes the world just a little brighter! (Can you tell I'm a fan?) Filled with delightful characters, genuinely sweet messages about love and confidence, and fantastic Parisian scenery, this is not a film to miss! Although Amelie is filmed in a fairy-tale/candy shop way (the tone, cinematography, costuming, and etc. is charming and juvenile) there are themes that are anything but. There is a large helping of comedic sexual situations including characters employed at a sex-toy store and some very silly sex scenes. Also, in the style of French cinema, this film waxes on and on. The foreign language and the length mean that it won't entirely appeal to younger viewers, which is great because it really is not for them.

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Adult
March 22, 2009
 
Good
Unique in a good way

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Sweet Non-Threatening Movie
Despite the site's review of this movie, it is quite suitable for a mature 12 year old. No violence or coupling of sex with violence. The main character (Amelie) is good hearted, and tries to help lonely people. There are some very funny scenes where she gets comic (and non-violent) revenge on a greengrocer who is mean to his retarded employee. The movie has excellent values. Despite the R rating given this film by the prudish MPAA, by way of contrast the move received a rating of all audiences by the Dutch film rating agency

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Foreign Film Bliss
I love this movie. It is a hidden foreign gem that would be fine for mature kids 14+

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Teen, 17 years old
April 8, 2010
 
I liked the concept of the movie. I'm 15 and what I didn't like were se sex scenes (that are not too long) but they're not good for us. It would've been perfect if it wasn't for the sex.

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Teen, 14 years old
January 7, 2010
 
Beautiful feel good movie, some sex..
I saw this film when I was about 11 and I thought it was beautiful, it has fantastic messages about love and life, its a bit quirky and very fun, I love this movie! There is some sex, which includes Amelie imagining people having orgasms (2 second long clips are shown of women and men screaming in pleasure), there is a standing up sex scene but its played for laughs and not very explicit, kids would be able to handle it, a character works in a porn shop, we see a womans boobs while shes dancing topless, and we see a pregnant naked lady's stomach getting bigger in fast motion, I think CSM were being a bit over-reactive when they said 16+, after all most 14 year olds would know about the subjects in this film, and there are no bad messages, it is all good and fun and a fantastic feelgood film, even if its a bit raunchy. Be warned, its in French so there are subtitles, but that doesnt take away from this magical, feelgood viewing expereince. Its a masterpiece! :D

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Parent of 7 and 12 year old
April 9, 2008
 
OK for mature teenagers, wonderful visuals and story
Mature teenagers interested in foreign films will be fine. Scenes/language relating to the porn shop are probably the most sexually explicit.

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Adult
July 11, 2009
 
Good for 17 year olds, ok for some 15 and 16 iffy for some below that.
Well, this movie was very cute, and whimsical. Viewers who like fantasy or know what it's like to have Imaginary Friends will appreciate Amelie. She becomes actually quite a strong character as she weaves herself into other's lives by helping them by doing good deeds (Ex: Convincing her father to travel by kidnapping his prize garden gnome, and sending it into the world, sending him pictures of it's location) we also see her gain friends and change, becoming a more whole person in the world. My only thing was that the review did not really go into detail on how sex scenes were, so I didn't really know what to expect what the 'humorous situations' would be. But it really wasn't too graphic. The movie shows almost no nudity for almost the entire film until the toward the end. The nudity was a man trying to communicate with a woman while she was filming a porno video for the store she works for. It shows her breasts, because she is stripping in front of the camera. However, this scene is only about 1 minute long, and so should not be too graphic for younger viewers. Amelie reveals in one scene that she has had an abortion, and smoked pot, but it was in one sentence, and I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. One more thing was that 2 people have sex in the bathroom at the diner where Amelie works. The women begins shrieking, and the wall starts banging, which could be confusing to younger views (she sounds like she's in pain, or being harassed) Also, the movie does take a LONG time to get the story told (2 hours) and so the plot drags on a bit, but nevertheless this is a very cute movie. The family should enjoy watching Amelie discover herself as the movie progresses, and as she discovers life and true love. Very good filming, story line, and acting. A quirky modern fairytale, of sorts. Enjoy!

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Great
mild stuff great for kids my kids 11 12 loved it

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This review was written by Nell Minow
Studio:Miramax
Director:Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Cast:Audrey Tautou, Lorella Cravotta, Mathieu Kassovitz
Genre:Comedy
Run time:122 minutes
Theatrical release date:November 2, 2001
DVD release date:December 1, 2002
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:comic sexuality

This review was written by Nell Minow
 

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