Perfect example of style over substance, a rare detour for Martin Scorsese.

Rating: 5/10 (30 July 2005)

Nobody can deny that Howard Hughes had a tremendous impact, not just on America but over the whole world and to film a biopic of him could never be boring. Another matter is to watch it and I must say that even though the movie does have stunning sequences and you can tell that everything in the flying sequences was well researched, it does leave you rather unfulfilled at the end. The trouble begins, as it usually does with the performances of the actors. Leonardo DiCaprio does well in the opening sequences and in one particular scene (the premiere of Hell's Angels) he captures just about every aspect of his character which unfortunately will be overemphasized through the rest of the movie. Like another of Scorsese's favorites, De Niro, he is pretty much let loose to bring out every emotion that he has in order to make the character a human being, rather than a stereotype.
The supporting cast are not so lucky and I must say that even though Cate Blanchett is very good indeed as Katherine Hepburn, she hardly deserved the Oscar for her performance here. Her one great moment is when she and Dicaprio visits her family and they play a game of one-up-man-ship but that is more a collaborative effort.
Another supporting actor nominee, Alan Alda, is serviceable as the slimy senator on the take from Alec Baldwin. His scene with Dicaprio at the hotel lunch meeting is some of the best acting he has ever done, despite the fact that it is rather superfluous because it is merely a set up for the big Senate hearing. The third actor worth mentioning is John C. Reilly who is in nearly every major American film today. Here he gets to play a normal character for once but he is terribly wasted. We don't feel that he is all that important neither to Hughes or the film.
So to repeat what I said earlier: The story of Hughes is fascinating but like so many biopics it is not completely up to par with the real story. I think the opening caption on this film says it all: "Based on a true story" and not "The full story".