It just kept missing the mark -- especially in casting the lead -- though good acting and cinematography

Rating: 6/10 (20 February 2006)

Oh gosh. What can I say about this film? Will try to list my comments in order of importance as they seem to me: First, I'm sorry, because I really like DiCaprio. I do. But he just isn't right for this part. Why did they cast him in this? This ruined the film for me because there is just something about DiCaprio -- especially with his baby-face-like physicality -- that just could never ever "scream" Howard Hughes to me. The best way to ruin a film for me is to cast someone so wrong for the part that I can never forget throughout the entire movie, that I am watching an ACTOR. In this case, that was 3 hours of noticing I was watching acting. I couldn't help it. He was just so NOT Howard Hughes. I think the very hardest thing to cast is a role for a biopic of a non-fictional and well-known person. It's tough. When it's good it's great, and when it's not, it's just plain aggravating for the viewer. Don't get me wrong. I think DiCaprio did a fine job of acting. He was just miscast in this role. I could have bought Willem Dafoe more than DiCaprio -- and that's just pulling a name out of the top of my hat! The cinematography was excellent. There were many good actors, and a number of my favorites, in this film. And sometimes the story is interesting despite the aggravations. I liked what I learned new about Hughes, and now I want to read more about him. I know I'll get a better sense from books though! And finally, I only want to watch a 3-hour movie when it is really great. This movie didn't warrant 3 hours to me. Ghandi, yes; The Aviator, no.