Apart from the phrase “art-house film,” no term can induce as much panic and dread into American moviegoers as “foreign film.” Specifically those pesky subtitles, which force the audience to gasp and actually pay attention.

Sadly, only “Life is Beautiful” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” have managed to strike a chord with American audiences, driving most other foreign films onto the last, lonely rack at the video store. Despite being a hit in its native France, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s most recent attempt to hop off that last shelf, “Amelie,” appears to be following its predecessors, hiding in obscurity with American audiences.

The story itself is not a new one. Picking up where “Pay It Forward” failed to go, Amelie Poulain (Audrey Tautou), a shy and introverted waitress, discovers a box of 40-year-old toys hidden behind a tile in her bathroom. Tracking down the owner awakes a new spirit in her, driving her to help others.

Amelie befriends the lonely Raymond Dufayel (Serge Merlin), who copies Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” every year and whose bones shatter so easily, he hasn’t left his padded apartment in years.

She terrorizes Collignon (Urbain Cancelier), the mean, neighborhood grocer who constantly belittles his assistant Lucien (Jamel Debbouze). In an attempt to send her father RaphaÃl (Rufus) on a vacation, she sends his garden gnome on a trip around the world, sending back photos from famous landmarks.

Despite her eye for noticing those in need, she is blind to her growing loneliness. It takes a chance meeting with another lonely spirit Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz) to open her eyes. Her only task is to figure out how to finally introduce herself without driving him away.

Jeunet’s directorial style is distinctly European (ignoring his American debut “Alien: Resurrection,” rather concentrating on “Delicatessen”) unlike most recent American directors.

For example, like German director Tom Tykwer introducing several of his characters with still-photo montages of their futures in “Run Lola Run,” Jeunet chooses to create a list of his character’s likes and dislikes, which have no relation to the story at all (Amelie’s mother likes figure-skater uniforms, while her father likes peeling wallpaper and shining his shoes.)

Another habit Jeunet has acquired is his love of close-up shots, especially of the star Tautou. Tautou, often compared to the other Audrey actress (Hepburn for those classic-movie impaired), earns every one of those close-ups with her beautiful features and subtle talent.

Her performance (if one could even tell she was acting) follows the trend of other foreign actresses, stemming in part from her talent and part from her relative obscurity. American audiences may recognize her from “Venus Beauty Institute,” which blurs the line between Amelie and Audrey.

Kassovitz (who has appeared in small roles in both “Jakob the Liar” and “The Fifth Element”) helps further Tautou’s transformation, but falls short of her own ability. He develops his character well, at the same time appearing to be both sleazy, working in an adult store selling pornography and sensitive, collecting rejected and torn-up photo strips). His desire for companionship and ever-growing loneliness makes him the compassionate character of the film, but unlike Kevin Spacey in “Pay it Forward” in a similar style role, Kassovitz just can’t quite steal away his cute, lovable costar.

In spite of being rejected from the Cannes film festival for not being serious enough, “Amelie” won the people’s choice award from the Toronto Film Festival. It earned about $45,000 per screen, on only three screens in its opening weekend in America, which is over four times as much as huge-grosser “Titanic.” Still, the film remains a small hit, creating a splash only among critics. Luckily for Jeunet and “Amelie,” the film is creating a splash with the same people who, come March could pass along a few golden Oscars.

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