Amélie
A 2001 French romantic comedy about a waitress helping others.
Amélie is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant. The film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre, and tells the story of Amélie Poulain, a shy and quirky waitress who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better while dealing with her own isolation. It features an ensemble cast including Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta, Serge Merlin, Jamel Debbouze, Claire Maurier, Clotilde Mollet, Isabelle Nanty, Dominique Pinon, Artus de Penguern, Yolande Moreau, Urbain Cancelier, and Maurice Bénichou.
- release_date
- 25 April 2001 (France)
- director
- Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- field
- Film
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- Romantic comedy set in Montmartre, Paris
Lore & Background
The film follows Amélie Poulain, born in 1974 and raised by eccentric parents who homeschool her due to an incorrect belief she has a heart defect. After her mother is killed by a suicidal Canadian tourist jumping from Notre-Dame de Paris, Amélie leaves home at 18 and becomes a waitress at the Café des 2 Moulins in Montmartre. On 31 August 1997, startled by news of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, she discovers a hidden metal box of childhood memorabilia and resolves to return it to its owner, promising to devote her life to bringing happiness to others if it makes him happy.
Reader's Guide
Amélie was a major commercial success, grossing $174.2 million worldwide against a budget of $10 million, and is one of the biggest international successes for a French film. It received widespread critical acclaim, winning Best Film at the European Film Awards, four César Awards including Best Film and Best Director, and two British Academy Film Awards including Best Original Screenplay. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay. Its legacy includes multiple re-releases, with Sony Pictures Classics acquiring North American distribution rights in 2023 and scheduling a theatrical re-release in the United States on 14 February 2024.
Did You Know?
- The role of Amélie was originally written for English actress Emily Watson, but she became unavailable due to a conflict with filming Gosford Park (2001).
- Principal photography took place from 2 March 2000 to 7 July 2000, mainly in Paris, with studio scenes filmed at MMC Studios Coloneum in Cologne, Germany.
- The film was not screened at the Cannes Film Festival because selector Gilles Jacob described an early cut without music as 'uninteresting'.
- The film shares many themes in its plot with the second half of the 1994 film Chungking Express.
More in Film Classics 1-23
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record