A Long but Classical Film!

Rating: 9/10 (7 March 2011)

I could see why Leonardo DiCaprio would want to play Howard Hughes. He was an incredible genius but also deeply troubled man. This film shows how Howard Hughes operated with the women in his life like Katherine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Faith, and others. He was paranoid and obsessive compulsive disorder. He was terrified of germs. There are more scenes in the film about his spiraling out of control with his mental illness than anything else. Despite his obvious inflictions, he was truly a brilliant businessman, aviator, and film producer. Nothing was too small or impossible for Howard Hughes. I thought Cate Blanchet deserved her Academy Award for playing iconic actress, Katharine Hepburn. Let's face it, Kate Hepburn was an extraordinarily gifted actress and an American treasure. Blanchett pulled off the performance perfectly to make even Hepburn proud of it. The relationship between Howard Hughes and Kate Hepburn was mutual admiration and love even when she left him. Hughes' love for Kate went further than that. The rest of the cast includes Kate Beckinsale (Ava Gardner), Sir Ian Holm, John C. Reilly, Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, etc. Everybody in the film business wants to work with Scorsese and who can blame them. I want to work with him. This film is nearly perfect if not too long at times but truly captures some of Howard Hughes' troubled and successful life.