An Acquired Taste

Rating: 8/10 (20 June 2005)

After seeing this movie and discussing it with friends, I felt in a rather sorry minority. I thought this film was REALLY good. I came away from it thinking "Wow. I've just seen an amazing film." Just at that moment, however, my friend exclaimed - "That was rubbish!" A mixed response, then.
So what was it about this film that I liked so much? Maybe it was my extreme dislike of Leonardo DiCaprio being overpowered by his amazingly affecting portrayal of Howard Hughes. Maybe it was my extreme admiration of Cate Blanchett achieving new heights as I witnessed an intricacy of character rarely seen by any actress. Maybe it was the complexity of storyline that seemed to hang together effortlessly, despite going in a plethora of directions. Maybe it was the direction, the writing or the cinematography. Maybe it was all these things. But whatever it was, it did the trick.
Some bad points... My dislike of 'star-studdedness' was something that did not change from watching this film. Scorcese really needs to do something about his obsession for getting at least five major names in every film. It's just annoying. Watching the film, whenever anyone famous came on, my thoughts were simply, "Big wow." Great acting, but that's just not the point. It just seems like he's trying to say, "Look, everybody wants to be in my film." Why have Jude Law and Ian Holm playing such small parts? Also, it just seemed at times like a spoof of an old school Hollywood movie, with everyone famous playing everyone famous.
Also, I have to agree with those who say that the film did not really 'go anywhere'. It was a shame that although there was great acting, great character study, great effects on the whole, great direction and cinematography, the story was let down a bit through lack of direction and focus. But I don't feel this is a major enough problem to write the film off. For me, everything else in this film made this issue fade away into near obscurity.
My dislike of Kate Beckinsale's acting in this movie was made up for by the likes of Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda and John C. Reilly (plus of course the two leads) who were all excellent. A bit of a surprise to see Gwen Stefani, but she held her own pretty well. And fans of the Wainwright family will enjoy the music...
Altogether I thought it was a great film. Lots to see and think about, and simply amazing portrayals of the characters. DiCaprio really makes the movie - which I never thought I'd hear myself saying - as the obsession, insanity, determination, genius, and simply unbelievable balls of Howard Hughes just came out of him as if he were designed for this film.
In conclusion then... I think this film is probably an acquired taste. You won't like it if you just like a good story. You won't like it if you don't like famous actors. You won't like it if you're an obsessive nitpicker. If you like good cinematography, good direction, good acting, and the '30s, you will really like this film. I would say it's worth watching even if you think you won't like it. You may just be surprised...