MovieChat Forums > Le battement d'ailes du papillon (2000) Discussion > "Like Amelie, Only Better."

"Like Amelie, Only Better."


I was talking to a relative about Amelie and he said "Have you seen Happenstance? It's like exactly the same as Amelie, only a lot better."
Personally, i didn't think there was much in common besides the intwinement of different people... Are people just saying this because of Audrey Tatou?
Finally, I think I liked Amelie better. This was a good movie, but the editing was a little choppy and the ideas seemed played out.

"That little punk drove a golf cart through my bar mitzvah. Not only that, he was dressed up like a beaver!"

reply

[deleted]

Yes, I liked Amelie better too. Besides from using the same actor and both being French movies, I don't think they're all that similar. Happenstance's plot is pretty gimmicky and pretty flimsy. Also Amelie seemed to be about the beauty of everyday life, where as alot of awful things happen in Happenstance only for a minor happy ending. So I'd say they are fairly different.

But your relative isn't the only one who thinks they're similar, my copy says Amelie 2 on the cover. But that's what I get for buying my DVDs in China. I still regret not buying Saving Private Ryan 2.

reply

[deleted]

It's not ONE ending, and it's similiar in that in Amelie, one event made everything else that happened possible. Same here.
I thought the ending was cute.

reply

[deleted]

I think Amelie was better... but this is still good. Audey Tautou's best movie though is A la folie... pas du tout (a.k.a. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not). If you see that in your video store, rent it!

http://groups.myspace.com/vote4thexanaxwhore

reply

No, no, no. Her best movie is Hors de prix. aka Priceless. I loved this movie and Audrey is stunning in it.

reply

I think her best film is "A Very Long Engagement" (Un Long Dimamanche de Fiancailles") ... a film I love with a passion.

But you ARE Blanche ... and I AM.

reply

I agree. Amelie is much better than Happenstance, but her best movie I have seen - as someone has mentioned - is "A la folie...pas du tout". That was a really good movie, has anyone seen the sequel to L'auberge Espagnol?

reply

It's called "Amelie 2" on the Russian release as well. Cheap marketing ploy, if you ask me. Audrey Tatou is the only thing those two have in common. As for the whole idea of many characters touching one another - this isn't new in general, and certainly not to French cinema.

A real Amelie 2 would be the excellent "Long dimanche de fiançailles," also starring Audrey, directed by Jeunet and generally VERY similar-feeling to "Amelie" :)

reply

Amelie is way better than this! Although this was a pretty good movie in it's own right, Amelie has so much more to it than just a 6 degrees of seperation plotline.

reply

Yeah. . . I saw this listed as "Amelie 2" as an alternate title and was quite excited. I enjoyed "Happenstance," but it wasn't nearly as entertaining or well made as "Amelie." I liked the message of fate (though I'm not a believer), but I felt it could've been quite better.

-AP3-

'It's okay. . . we're cutting your arm off.'


reply

Just finished watching this & agree that 'Amelie' is (much) better. Not only is it better, it's among my favorite, most enjoyed films.
In fact, 'Happenstance' may be my least favorite of Tautou's films I've seen so far (which is only a handful yet).

That said, I can't seem to get enough of Tautou, regardless of the film's quality!

"Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up...we'll all get up...IT'LL BE ANARCHY!!"

reply