Straighten Up and Fly Right

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2009)

At last!
The mystery of Howard Hughes is revealed!
by Martin Scorsese (director), John Logan (scripter), and Leonardo DiCaprio (star), in "The Aviator". Their biography begins with young Howard (Jacob Davich) being erotically bathed by his mother. Mind you, this is long after the teenage Hughes should be washing himself. So, he's practices spelling "q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e" while mother (Amy Sloan) bends down to well, it's "suggested" incest (there is nothing overtly sexy in the PG-13-rated film). Presumably, this is why Hughes lost his marbles; read, this is his "Rosebud" moment.
"The Aviator" would have been better off following Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" model more closely - about, but not quite so, a familiar figure. Then, the film could be described as "thinly disguised" instead of wildly speculative and outrageously fabricated. Herein, the "love" of Hughes' life is revealed to be a sexually aggressive and fidgety Cate Blanchett (as Katharine Hepburn). This bizarre characterization won Ms. Blanchett a "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar. At times, her awful "Kate" seems like Faye Dunaway's "Joan Crawford".
Hughes' compulsions for aviating and Hollywood are followed through the 1940s. The good news is that this is a beautiful-looking, Scorsese-directed production. There is outstanding work from the acclaimed director and his collaborators; including cinematographer Robert Richardson, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and musician Howard Shore. DiCaprio does a marvelous job with the role; he grows into the role so well, that the later scenes - especially those with Alan Alda (as Senator Brewster) - make it seem like the hours flew by.
******** The Aviator (12/14/04) Martin Scorsese ~ Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda