An incredible film

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2010)

This movie was so, so, so good. I saw it for the first time mainly for Leonardo DiCaprio...I'm a fan of his and I'd heard good things about this movie...and I didn't have any idea what to expect, considering I knew next to nothing about Howard Hughes. And it wasn't that I came out of this movie knowing much more, considering that there were historical inaccuracies and Scorsese chose to dramatize certain characters and points in his life and leave others out. But I did come out of it enormously entertained. It's the kind of movie that sticks with you, not making you think or analyze everything but still staying in your mind because it makes a big impact. Every single scene, every single sequence was gorgeously shot, and so much detail was put into imitating each setting and each character. And the writing was great...while the story didn't have a set arc (it's hard to do a really story arc in biopics because real life just isn't like that...) each moment and line is so symbolic of everything the movie is and everything to come. From after the huge crash sequence (a terrifying sequence, as you feel like you're there), when Howard is lying on the ground and chokes out, "I'm Howard Hughes, the aviator" to the end scene when he thinks back on his childhood future for himself and how it was all coming true, but he couldn't so much enjoy it because of his debilitating mental condition, it was just perfect.
I've read so much about how the characters were so "miscast," but I couldn't disagree more. Leo is perfect as a pre-downward-spiral Hughes (a strange casting choice, but one that made sense nonetheless, considering his contribution to the picture on a producing standpoint and his real life as an idolized but extremely private celebrity as Howard Hughes was in his glory days) and his acting just got better and better as the film went on. When you end up in the Senate hearings sequence and you see him on screen, he's such a complete dead ringer for Howard Hughes...right down to the things he says, the way he says them, the way he carries himself, his fidgeting, his facial expressions...even his appearance (although not really close to Hughes's at all to begin with) is so accurate. Leo really did his research and gave Hughes his own spin while still getting as close to the actual mannerisms of the man as possible. He gives such a convincing performance I'm surprised that he was able to come out of the character at the end of the day.
Cate Blanchett was an amazing choice as Katharine Hepburn, and she really has fun with the role, turning out a great performance that was both accurate and a bit teasing, something that the real life Hepburn probably would have admired. Alan Alda is ridiculously great as Senator Brewster, and Kate Beckinsdale is a believable Ava Gardner. She definitely has a sensual poise about her that is so hard to come by. John C. Reilly is great as Noah Dietrich (his confusion at Howard's behavior yet his sympathy for him was spot on). I didn't really understand the inclusion of Alec Baldwin as Juan Tripp, but he does have that somewhat slimy feel that translates well into that type of a manipulative role.
All in all, this movie was great. There are a couple scenes in which people might feel slightly uncomfortable or disturbed, such as the sequence in the screening room, but they're necessary to carry the movie and understand the character and his madness, and they're a great example of DiCaprio's acting talents and the fact that he's fearless in becoming his character. Even if you might go "ew, what the heck?" during those, this movie isn't so much about being pretty (even though it is) as it is about contrasting the public persona and legend of Howard Hughes with the private one, and it succeeds wonderfully.