utgard14 Made-for-TV movie about Amelia Earhart that paints an unflattering picture of the famed aviatrix. It stars Diane Keaton and, as another reviewer before me noted, she is not the right fit for this role. It's basically Diane Keaton being Diane Keaton (or Annie Hall). The controversy with this version of Earhart's story is how much she is portrayed as an incompetent and petulant woman who is barely able to get the plane off the ground. Her personal life is not spared either, as her relationship with her husband (Bruce Dern) is portrayed as a passionless business arrangement. I appreciate they didn't romanticize Amelia too much but maybe they went a bit too far in the other direction. The Amelia shown here had no business piloting an airplane.It's a television movie so it was obviously never going to be dynamite, but it kept my interest throughout so I can't complain too much. You don't see much on TV today that would even go half as far as this in attempting to match the period clothing and cars, etc., let alone use an actual plane. It would be all CGI today and since it's made-for-TV, it would be terrible CGI. I should point out that, despite the attempts at getting the period setting right, they aren't entirely successful there. Also there are a few instances where they use words and phrases that I don't believe were common in the 1930s. Still, it's a decent time-passer despite its many flaws. I think most people will at least find it watchable, although Earhart buffs might be infuriated by it at times. I enjoyed it more than that terrible movie with Hillary Swank, that's for sure.

clarkmc2 It would be impossible to make a biographical film of Ms. Earhart then or now without some included elements of myth. Noting them would be not so much a criticism as an observation.Re: comments about her pilot skill shortcomings, I think the issue was well served by the takeoff accident depiction. I agree that her busy schedule seemed to have precluded enough up to date stick time.The cinematography was above the made for TV standard throughout. The aerial shot of the lonely taxi and lineup to the last takeoff was one of the most visually evocative scenes in the history of film.It will be interesting to compare this modest effort to the impending release. Diane Keaton vs Hilary Swank, no comment from me. Rutger Hauer Vs Christopher Eccleston. Bruce Dern vs Richard Gere will be interesting. I like them both but would lean towards Dern, all else being equal. But it won't be. The tale will be told in the battle of the writers. Given the tone and level of the work today, I will bet on this film. The trailer makes the new version seem a bit florid, but it is just a trailer.

dtucker86 This movie is a real insult to a brave woman. It is just lies and slander all the way through. I cannot believe it was even made it is so base and false. Amelia was a true heroine and a pioneer who paved the way for other woman pilots. I cannot believe that ridiculous story that she was spying for the government! Amelia and Fred were involved in an aircraft accident, it is that simple. There is a man named Elgin Long who has spent years researching the case and I think he found the answer. Due to a combination of empty fuel tanks, faulty navigation and exhaustion, Amelia's plane went down in the sea about a hundred miles from tiny Howland Island. The impact alone probably killed them both, even if it hadn't the plane would have sunk like a rock within minutes.

vaughan.birbeck This film is just a recycling of the mountain of myth that has surrounded Amelia Earhart's disappearance: she was on a spying mission (although she didn't know it, her husband was approached to pump her for information about Japanese activity in the Pacific); she and her navigator Fred Noonan disliked each other; Noonan was an unreliable alcoholic; she was panicky and low on fuel towards the end of the flight and ended it by deliberately ditching her aircraft.Sorry, dear viewer. There is no evidence at all that Earhart was a spy, or that the Japanese were up to no good in the South Pacific four years before WWII. She and Noonan liked and respected each other. Noonan was probably the foremost aerial navigator in the world at that time (he pioneered Pan-Am's China Clipper route across the Pacific) and a consummate professional. The last messages heard from the aircraft indicate that Earhart was still in control of herself, following her contingency plan. At this time she would have had enough fuel for another four hours flying time.I'm afraid this film is a conspiracy-theorist's fantasy extravaganza.