Leonardo Portrays DiCaprio

Rating: 1/10 (4 February 2006)

He looks like a little boy trying to play the role of a grownup. Has there ever been a worse casting mistake? With his baby face looks, his high pitch voice, his phony Texas twang, and his forced mannerisms, DiCaprio not only is the wrong actor for the role, he is so distracting as to ruin the entire film.
That's the main problem. Another problem is the part of the plot that deals with the tedious technicalities of early aviation. I found it to be totally not interesting. Maybe it would be of interest to an aviation historian.
In addition, the film gushes with busy hubbub and lots of non-substantive chatter. The screenplay must have weighed a ton. Despite all the dialogue, the film's script lacks an emotional spine, making the film seem shallow, superficial, and insincere.
At a cost of over $100 million and a runtime of nearly three hours, the film conveys an air of superiority. It is very, very impressed with itself. It spews implied bravado. I cringe when I consider that the filmmakers could have made five very good films, costing $20 million each. Those are five films we will never see.
However, if you like DiCaprio, the Hollywood "star", you will no doubt like this film. After all, "The Aviator" is mostly just a flashy cinematic vehicle to enhance his star status. Viewers looking for an honest and in-depth study of the life of Howard Hughes will need to look elsewhere.