She has played a teacher, a transgendered person, a boxer and even a karate kid, and now Hilary Swank plays one of the most legendary women of the 20th century.

“Amelia” captures the renowned story of an American woman who defied all odds and followed her dreams of soaring through open skies.

This film captures the true essence of what it must have been like for Earhart to break societal norms and become the the true essence of the American dream.

The biographical film begins its story in 1928, when Earhart (Swank) was contacted by George P. Putnam (Richard Gere) to be the first woman to complete a successful flight over the Atlantic Ocean.

Earhart made the 21-hour trip alongside pilot Bill Stultz (Joe Anderson) and co-pilot Slim Gordon (Aaron Abrams), calling national attention to her eventual accomplishment of the feat.

Then in 1937, Earhart put herself up to the ultimate challenge to complete her career: flying around the world.

That same year, Earhart started a mission with navigator Fred Noonan (Christopher Ecceleston), but the pair went missing.

Theories surround the question of what could have happened to these two airborne casualties, but it’s still unclear what the fate was of Earhart and her navigator. The film provides the perfect opportunity for viewers to decide for themselves what happened to the pilots.

The film, directed by Mira Nair, is historically accurate with much Hollywood dramatization to keep the story engaging.

With a cast full of stars, “Amelia” is typical of a Hollywood production based around historical facts and assumptions.

And of course, what would a historically biographical film be without the inclusion of a drawn-out love triangle?

Gere plays Earhart’s publicist and later husband while Ewan McGregor plays Gene Vidal, a flight teacher at West Point. Both are clearly in love with Earhart’s free spirit.

Viewers are constantly faced with the conundrum of who she should really be with: the all-powerful tycoon of public relations or the single father who understands every aspect of her true being.

In recent years, Swank has played more adult roles and played them well.

In 2007’s “Freedom Writers,” a movie also based on true events, she played a new teacher in an inner-city school district who brings out the gift of writing in students who otherwise would not have the chance.

Swank has found her niche in playing these rather feministic hero roles, and it’s no surprise that she was the executive producer of “Amelia.”

“Amelia” is sure to be popular at the box office, especially for an older generation. It’s a story worth telling, and this time Hollywood did a decent job at doing so.