Amelie (2001)
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90% of critics liked it
(146 reviews) -
95% of users liked it
(424,231 ratings)
One woman decides to change the world by changing the lives of the people she knows in this charming and romantic comic fantasy from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Amelie (Audrey Tautou) is a young woman who had a decidedly unusual childhood; misdiagnosed with an unusual heart condition, Amelie… More One woman decides to change the world by changing the lives of the people she knows in this charming and romantic comic fantasy from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Amelie (Audrey Tautou) is a young woman who had a decidedly unusual childhood; misdiagnosed with an unusual heart condition, Amelie didn't attend school with other children, but spent most of her time in her room, where she developed a keen imagination and an active fantasy life. Her mother Amandine (Lorella Cravotta) died in a freak accident when Amelie was eight, and her father Raphael (Rufus) had limited contact with her, since his presence seemed to throw her heart into high gear. Despite all this, Amelie has grown into a healthy and beautiful young woman who works in a cafe and has a whimsical, romantic nature. When Princess Diana dies in a car wreck in the summer of 1997, Amelie is reminded that life can be fleeting and she decides it's time for her to intervene in the lives of those around her, hoping to bring a bit of happiness to her neighbors and the regulars at the cafe. Amelie starts by bringing together two lonely people -- Georgette (Isabelle Nanty), a tobacconist with a severe case of hypochondria, and Joseph (Dominique Pinon), an especially ill-tempered customer. When Amelie finds a box of old toys in her apartment, she returns them to their former owner, Mr. Bretodeau (Maurice Benichou), sending him on a reverie of childhood. Amelie befriends Dufayel (Serge Merlin), an elderly artist living nearby whose bones are so brittle, thanks to a rare disease, that everything in his flat must be padded for his protection. And Amelie decides someone has to step into the life of Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz), a lonely adult video store clerk and part-time carnival spook-show ghost who collects pictures left behind at photo booths around Paris. Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amelie Poulain received unusually enthusiastic advance reviews prior to its French premiere in the spring of 2001, and was well received at a special free screening at that year's Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- Written By
- Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guillaume Laurant
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Nov 2, 2001 Wide
- Studio
- Miramax Films
Critic Reviews
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Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Tautou is gloriously alive in the title role.
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Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
A blast of pure movie bliss, a hilarious, imaginative and exhilarating love letter to the romantic in all of us.
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Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews
It is a rare thing to have an illuminating experience whilst watching a film, but that is exactly what is encountered with Amelie.
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Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]
What comes across most powerfully is Jeunet's athletic, playful directing style, a tour de force of tricks, gags and effects.
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Gregory Weinkauf, ÜberCiné
A magnificent movie -- made a masterpiece by Audrey Tautou.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Audrey Tautou
as Amélie, Amélie, Am?lie
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Mathieu Kassovitz
as Nino Quincampoix
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Rufus
as Raphael Poulain (Amélie's father), Raph...
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Yolande Moreau
as Madeleine Wallace
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Artus de Penguern
as Hipolito (the writer)
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Urbain Cancelier
as Collignon (the grocer)
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Dominique Pinon
as Joseph
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Maurice Bénichou
as Bretodeau (the box man)
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Claude Perron
as Eva (the strip teaser)
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Isabelle Nanty
as Georgette
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Claire Maurier
as Suzanne
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Serge Merlin
as Dufayel
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Clotilde Mollet
as Gina
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Jamel Debbouze
as Lucien
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André Dussollier
as Narrator
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Michel Robin
as Old Man Collignon
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Lorella Cravotta
as Amandine Poulain
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Flora Guiet
as Amélie (8 years old), Amélie (8 years o...
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Armelle
as Philomene
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Amaury Babault
as Nino (as a child)
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Jean Darie
as The Blind Man
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Ticky Holgado
as The Photo Booth Man
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Marc Amyot
as The Stranger
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Andrée Damant
as Mrs. Collignon
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Dominique Bettenfeld
as The Screaming Neighbor
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Frankye Pain
as The Newsstand Woman
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Eugène Berthier
as Eugene Koler
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Marion Pressburger
as Credits Helper
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Charles-Roger Bour
as The Urinal Man
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Luc Palun
as Amandine's Grocer
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Fabienne Chaudat
as Woman in Coma
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Jacques Viala
as The Customer Who Humiliates His Friend
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Fabien Behar
as The Humiliated Customer
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Jonathan Joss
as The Humiliated Customer's Son
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Jean-Pierre Becker
as The Bum
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Thierry Gibault
as The Endive Client
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Franois Bercovici
as His Buddy
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Guillaume Viry
as Dominique Bredoteau Woman
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Valerie Zarrouk
as Bretodeau as a child
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Marie-Laure Descoureaux
as The Dead Man's Concierge
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Sophie Tellier
as Aunt Josette
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Gérald Weingand
as The Teacher
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Francois Viaur
as The Bar Owner
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Paule Dare
as His Employee
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Myriam Labbe
as The Tobacco Buyer
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Robert Gendreu
as Café Patron, Café Patron, Caf? Patron
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Julianna Kovacs
as Grocer's Client
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Mady Malroux
as Twin
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Monette Malroux
as Twin
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Valériane De Villeneuve
as The Laughing Woman
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Isis Peyrade
as Samantha
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Raymonde Heudeline
as Phantom Train Cashier
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Christiane Bopp
as Woman By The Merry-Go-Round
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Thierry Arfeuilleres
as Statue Man
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Jerry Lucas
as The Sacré-Coeur Boy, The Sacré-Coeur Bo...
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Patrick Paroux
as The Street Prompter
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Francois Aubineau
as The Concierge's Postman
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Philippe Beautier
as Poulain's Postman
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Régis Iacono
as Felix L' Herbier
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Franck-Olivier Bonnet
as Palace Video
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Alain Floret
as The Concierge's Husband
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Jean-Pol Brissard
as The Postman
- Jacques Thébault
- Frédéric Mitterrand



