What a turkey

Rating: 3/10 (18 July 2005)

What happened at the Oscars? Why should the man behind this get Best Director. Apart from a couple of flight scenes, this movie was painful to watch. The main actors (DiCaprio and Blanchett) were completely miscast in their roles. There is little story to speak of. There's no background to base Hughes' life on when the movie begins, no depth or realism to his grittier, seedier side and no bite or grip taken on his madness. Instead we get a bird's eye view, gently floating over the mostly trivial aspects of his life. I learned nothing from this movie. I was not wowed by any special effects. I did not gasp at any beautiful cinematography. I did not revel in the absolute immersion of an actor in his character. I did not feel that I had to go out and buy the soundtrack, though this might be because I already have "The Cat's Meow" soundtrack which shares some of the tunes and certainly the spirit and, by the by, is a far superior movie in my estimation. I will never get the time that I spent watching this back. Scrocese has made some good movies and some great movies but this idea, unlike it's protagonist, does not fly!