Amelie MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

One never knows what life might put in your path from day to day. No one seems to know that better than Amelie Poulain (Audrey Tautou), a young woman living alone in Paris. Since childhood, Amelie has struggled to relate to people, so she develops a vivid imagination. When she stumbles upon an old box of treasures hidden in her apartment by a former tenant many years ago, she determines to track the owner down and return it. When Amelie sees that the man is deeply touched by her action, she determines to do good deeds for people. Her deeds include describing a crowded marketplace to a blind man, helping a gruff older man lighten up a bit, and doing a little matchmaking with a co-worker. Along the way, Amelie also stumbles upon a little love herself. AMELIE is a delightful French comedy that combines quick camera work and even quicker wit. Look for this subtitled film to be a definite crowd-pleaser on the art house circuit.

Amelie's reluctance in relationships stems from her parents' coolness toward her, not providing the loving affection a child needs. This loneliness immediately endears the audience to Amelie as they want her to find that missing warmth in her life. Amelie's commendable random acts of kindness take her all over Paris. One man she meets works in an adult store where several anatomically shaped sex toys are visible. Also in the scene is a woman stripping as part of some sort of peep show. A brief scene of a pregnant woman and another brief moment of a couple having sex also feature nudity. Some other sex scenes are more comical than erotic. Without violence and only two mild crudities in the subtitles, nudity and graphic sexual content keep AMELIE from being recommendable.

Preview Reviewer: John Adair
Distributor: Miramax Films, 375 Greenwich, NY, NY 10013