“Amelia” is a frustratingly old-school, Hollywood-style, inspirational biopic about Amelia Earhart that doesn’t trust a viewer’s independent assessment of the famous woman pictured on the screen. The mystery we ought to be paying attention to is: What really happened on the legendary American aviator’s final, fatal flight in 1937 But the question audiences are left with is this: How could so tradition-busting a role model have resulted in so square, stiff, and earthbound a movie Why present such a modern woman in such a fusty format Dressed for the title role in a wardrobe of jumpsuits, leather jackets, scarves, and slinky evening wear dashing enough to stop air traffic, Hilary Swank’s Earhart doesn’t so much talk as make stump speeches — even when she’s at her own breakfast table.
