Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Country: France
Genre: Foreign, Romance

Before Natalie Portman‘s turn in Garden State, all girls wanted to be Amélie.

This film here is a perfect example of a romantic comedy being equally romantic and funny.  It is able to be both without ever sacrificing one for the other like so many “rom-coms” do. Jean-Pierre Jeunet has a brilliant eye for art direction and unforgettable characters, which when you add up all of the elements of this film, its sum is something quite unique and amazing. It was like watching a Wes Anderson film, only with a director who had A.D.D.  And despite its 2+ hour runtime, it’s neither long or drawn out. In fact, the vignette-style editing and the over-the-top humor make it breeze by. But really, what the whole movie’s appeal boils down to the adorable Audrey Tautou as her finely-tuned character of Amélie.