Interesting but limited

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2005)

I enjoyed this movie. And it didn't feel like a three hour film. It moves along quickly, helped by good acting by everyone involved. DiCaprio was particularly good as Howard Hughes. He even aged well.
My wife didn't like it as much as I did and I suspect that's because this is a dick-flick (a movie for men!). The movie is at its best when it describes the technical breakthroughs that Hughes pioneered. Even the numerous romances were handled in a fairly brisk. manly fashion.
This movie is not a Hughes biography. It covers a small part of his life (the flying bit) and, even then, only part of that (up until 1947). This gives the movie an incomplete feel and leaves you wondering what happened next.
But, all in all, it's a good film. Entertaining and well acted. Just don't expect to learn much about Mr Hughes.