“Amelia” is a near-miss in being awarded our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal. The story is historically correct with possibly just a few imagined scenes which fall into the realm of possibility. The story of the first woman pilot to successfully fly the Atlantic and the mystery concerning her fate still fascinates people to this day. The acting trio of Hilary Swank as Earhart, Richard Gere as publisher George Putnam and Earhart’s husband, and Ewan McGregor as an expert in aviation who also takes a liking to Earhart, all give engaging performances. As a biographical story it works very well, with a bit of humor mixed into the drama and an ending which seemed to me to be perfect. There is some action too, with Amelia and a passenger nearly falling out of the plane and the historical footage which is inserted in a few spots in the film enhances it and works nicely. The conclusion with Earhart attempting to fly around the world and the tension leading up to her disappearance left the audience I screened the film with perfectly silent.

Unfortunately for our Dove readers and followers, the film falls short for us in the “family friendly” department with a brief affair between a married woman and single man, and also with the utterance of strong language. We therefore regrettably cannot award this movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal.