I wasn't quite sure what I would think of it. It is spoken in French with English subtitles. Keep your eyes on the screen! It was interesting the way they started out, a narrator speaking descriptions of the characters. He starts describing things like what they like to do & what they don't. Very cool intro. At certain points in the movie, the narrator pops up again. There are also several scenes where you are told what a certain character is thinking. Things like this seperate Amelie from many movies, give it a "feel".

So, this little girl is born to parents that don't seem to know what to do with a little girl. It says she longs for a hug from her dad, and since she gets no contact from him, except for her "yearly medical exam" (done by him- I think he is a doctor), her heart beats very fast to his touch. Thus, he thinks she has heart problems her whole life. Her mother soon passes away (this is very early in the movie, it's not giving anything away) and Amelie thinks it's her fault, because she was told her taking pictures with an old camera causes bad luck when a car crash happens on the road, while she is off to the side snaping photos. She is told it's her fault. From then on people around her have bad luck, and she thinks it's her fault. Thus, the complex.

The movie really begins when she is twenty-something, a waitress & just trying to get along in life. Then she finds a sort-of time capsule hidden in the wall of her apartment-and she decides she must find the owner. She feels that this treasure from his boyhood will bring him such joy...And so she begins on her journey to be a do-gooder. Only problem is she must first over-come her low self-esteem. And she needs to learn to open up to others, this is the premise of the movie.

Amelie is a very French film & it gives the movie some style. It's hilarious the way they use some "magic" to demonstrate things like dreams or feelings. For example at one point in the movie Amelie is feeling pretty overwhelmed, and they show her turn into water & splash all over the floor of her restaurant.

I give this movie three stars (out of five). The sense of humor was what made this a fun movie, however I feel that the plot was lacking something. Maybe it's just because it's often hard to relate to foreign films. Or that it's hard to accurately tackle such deep topics. One of the better points of the movie is the lesson in the end about trusting people & opening up yourself. I'm sure it's something that many people can relate to. It was a little hard to relate to some of the characters though, sometimes it felt like you weren't sure if you knew what they were thinking. It was a little frustrating to watch Amelie struggle with coming to grips with how to relate to people. But it was rewarding to watch her stand up for a guy that she knew who was being mistreated by his boss- she's good at pranks & getting revenge. Gives out some good ideas...

If you like foreign films, comedy, unique storylines- this movie is worth checking out. The dvd has a lot of bonus footage as well.