am·a·teur / ˈamətər; -ˌtər; -ˌchoŏr; -chər/ • n. a person who engages in a pursuit, esp. a sport, on an unpaid basis. ∎  a person considered contemptibly inept at a particular activity: that bunch of stumbling amateurs.• adj. engaging or engaged in without payment; nonprofessional: an amateur archaeologist. ∎  inept or unskillful.DERIVATIVES: am·a·teur·ism / -ˌrizəm/ n.

Amateur ★★★ 1994 (R)

Former nun Huppert, trying to make a living writing pornography, hooks up with an amnesiac (Donovan) who turns out to have a criminal past and a porno actress wife (Lowensohn) who wants him dead. Blackmail plot has oddball characters racing through dark and evocative settings while unfolding a tale loaded with offbeat oppositions and an irresistibly bizarre romantic triangle. Lively and playful without becoming pretentious, Hartley's self-described “action thriller… with one flat tire” evokes his typical deadpan subtle style. 105m/C VHS, DVD . Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan, Elina Lowensohn, Damian Young, Chuck Montgomery, David Simonds, Pamela Stewart, Terry Alexander; D: Hal Hartley; W: Hal Hartley; C: Michael Spiller; M: Hal Hartley, Jeff Taylor.

amateur XVIII. — F. — It. amatore — L. amātor (see next).