What’s that sound you hear? Oh, it’s just Hilary Swank locking up another Oscar nomination for her starring role as Amelia Earhart in the biopic Amelia.
How do I know Amelia is going to garner Swank another Academy Award nod? Well, Fox Searchlight is giving it a limited release on October 23 (Oscar-bait studio, with Oscar-bait release date). The Academy loves them some biopics (see: Milk, Walk the Line, Ray). And, I’ve seen the trailer. See, I told you! Can anyone get inside a character’s skin like Hilary Swank? The aviator goggles, the determination and charm, that languid ’30s rhythm to her speech. Plus, how about the lush cinematography? Biplanes skipping across the desert and ocean, it’s perfect.
And how nice is it to see a biopic about a woman for once? Hollywood only turns out about four decently written parts for women each year. (That’s a generous estimate.) Equally lovely is watching Hilary Swank embrace her talent. After her Oscar in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby, she tried to go mainstream with a turn in rom-com (P.S. I Love You) and a horror flick (The Reaping), but Amelia puts her back where she belongs: inside an epic story about a female heroine. Originally, Amelia was supposed to focus on the early life of the famed aviatrix, but the trailer seems to tease that it’s about her now-infamous attempt to fly around the world. Either way, I’m there.
What do you think about Amelia?
