The Aviator doesn't fly !!!!!

Rating: 3/10 (8 February 2005)

I had big expectations for this movie. I really thought that it had potential with Scorsese being "at the helm" and all. However, it didn't look so much like a Scorsese film as one in the style of Oliver Stone - not that that is a bad thing. I just thought that Mr. Scorsese wouldn't need to copy another director's style at this stage in his career. Then again, Stone has at least one Oscar on his mantle and Scorcese has none. 'Tis Hollywood, perhaps.
My second problem with the film is the casting of "Katharine Hepburn." Sorry. While I certainly have admired Cate Blanchett's work in other films, in THE AVIATOR she comes across as a caricature of the original. Overdone. It appears that Hepburn's only attribute is (was) her teeth. And Blanchett's accent is more from somewhere in "The South" region than from "Bryn Mawr" in PA.
And, finally, Mr. Scorsese certainly spends a great deal of screen time SHOWING the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies of Mr. Hughes, but he never really provides us when any real insight as to WHY Mr. Hughes was the way he was. Maybe no one really knows, and that is perhaps the point the director was 'trying' to make. Or maybe the "unusual" bath time episode at the beginning (and flashback-ed at the end) was an attempt to offer some analysis. Well, that didn't quite work for me. How many children get bathed everyday by their parent(s) - even ones who are a tad over-zealous about germs - and then turn out to have severe emotional problems? Scarce few, I'd bet.
The best part of this film is the score - which, for the most part, was not original but borrowed from other composers. I realize, however, that some latitude must be given here so as to catch the essence of the period in history when the events supposedly took place and to give an authentic atmosphere. The sets were very distinguished and really did give a "feeling of the times." Bonus points for SET DECORATION.
Having said all this, I do hope that Mr. Scorsese receives an Oscar this year as recognition for his lifetime body of work - but not so much for this particular film.