Great looking film with an only average narrative

Rating: 6/10 (26 January 2005)

The Aviator is a fictionalized account of the peak years of tycoon Howard Hughes from the late 20's to late 40's.
I went to see this movie because I like history and learn about historical figures in the context of the times they lived in.
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Hughes, who inherited millions from his father's drill bit company and spent millions on making movies and fast airplanes. Hughes was also a ladies man having relationships with many of the women who worked in Hollywood.
I didn't buy DiCaprio as Hughes early in the film. He seemed far too young and in close ups one could see his "soul" patch that the actor likes to wear. It wasn't until after the horrific test crash when he gets Hughes' trademark pencil mustache that I started to see Hughes. DiCaprio even had the same kind of wrinkles Hughes had on his forehead when he was intense. That creeped me out.
Even with the slight flaw DiCaprio showed the range of Hughes. From driven multitasking tycoon to disturbed germophobic, his acting was great.
Cate Blanchett plays Katharine Hepburn, Hughes' first serious paramour. Blanchett gave an excellent performance. You could tell she spent time studying early Hepburn films and reading interviews.
Kate Beckinsale plays fiery Ava Gardner. Beckinsale had Gardner to a tee going from loving to tyrant just like the real actress.
John C. Reilly played Hughes business manager Noah Dietrich. Dietrich paid attention to the business side of Hughes even though the boss could care less. Reilly turns in another excellent performance.
The film was beautifully shot and the time period seemed authentic. I expect that from Director Martin Scorsese but the story misses the mark.
Some stories indicated that Scorsese made the film using different color processes to match the time periods in the movie. This is a gimmick only a film geek will love. The only thing I noticed was a dinner scene that had blue peas.
Some people will applaud the lack of graphic sex scenes but in this case the film really didn't sell how much of a womanizer Hughes was. They showed him focusing on a woman and sweet talking her till she swooned but there was no sex scenes or even a scene where the couple wakes up the next morning. It would also add some insight to see if Hughes' germophobia affected his sex life. For a man who would freak out seeing a spot on some else's suit how would he ever get through a night of lovemaking.
Then there are the scenes where Hughes, on the rebound from Hepburn, is dating a 15 year old. What?? Where did that come from?? The couple are at the local club and no one seems to notice or care. During that time people weren't open with those kind of relationships. Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin had run ins with the law over under aged lovers.
The best parts of the film are when Hughes is multitasking. Talking to his aircraft designer about a design and in the next sentence ordering scenes cut from a movie he was making. Another great scene is the Senate hearing where Hughes is called to answer the charges he was a war profiteer. There are some great quotes that can apply to our current defense contracting issues. Alex Baldwin, as Juan Tripp, Hughes' airline rival, and Alan Alda as Tripp's paid Senator Brewster were equally slimy as the villains.
The film is 2 hours and 45 minutes and the first half seems to focus on Hughes relationship with Hepburn. I am not sure she deserved as much focus as she got.
The plane crash sequence went on far too long for what it delivered. Yes, it was needed because it was defining moment for Hughes. He lived with the health issues from the crash for the rest of his life, but the special effect shot just wasn't need to run as long as it did.
One special effects shot I did love was filming the climax to the movie "Hell's Angels". It was obviously a computer shot but was breath taking none the less.
Overall I thought Scorsese channeled Hughes the director too much. There was much that could be trimmed downed or dropped and still tell a good story. What is on the screen is fine but it just misses being a great film.
6/10