I LOVED it, beginning to end......

Rating: 10/10 (5 January 2005)

This was an unforgettable movie. It was full of fun, eccentricity, sadness, love, laughter, and mystery. For me, I was thinking of this movie long after I left the theater- a sign for me that it was great.
I won't bore you with another review of the years this movie covered or the production values. I would like to review the way the movie portrayed its subject since so many people have themselves commented on that. Mr. Howard Hughes, like so many of us, is an "unanswered question." There is no definitive way to explain the profound complexities of anyone, especially a complicated man like him. The beginning of the story with his mother washing him, telling him that he was not safe- isn't meant to totally explain or blame anything or anyone. It's just a bit of insight into an otherwise inscrutable man. That's part of why people are still interested in him- the mystery of life and in this case, his life. (And to another reviewer who naïvely thinks that his mother didn't have an effect on his neurosis, I point to them that the majority of mental illness isn't organic in nature, but learned.)
Also I was sadly dismayed to see some people's reaction to his mental illness as "creepy" and "disturbing." What ever happened to the saying, "There but for the grace of God go I." Empathy is always a good way to begin to understand people. Perhaps the reason some people didn't get this movie is a lack of both understanding & empathy. I may not care how the peas are arranged on my plate, but I guarantee you, I don't want someone else touching my food and they may draw back a nub if they try it! The opera singer Shirley Verrett supposedly never shakes hands when she meets people- being a singer, she doesn't want to catch a cold. If you look at it from that point of view, she's just being cautious, not eccentric. (By the way, I only heard this as a rumor, I am not putting it out there as fact.) My point isn't that these are examples of the same or even similar things. I'm just saying that it's easier to understand someone if you try a little to, as Atticus Finch said, "walk around in their shoes a bit."
And what about the genius of the man? Here is a man with very little formal education who was SMART. He was smart not just in a worldly way, but an obviously talented aviator & designer. He was able to envision the future. He didn't just finance the future, but had the courage to fail. The courage to try what other people said couldn't be done. It may be true it's easier to try when your last penny isn't in danger, but as the movie shows, he DID go to considerable financial lengths to finance some of his projects. He was a dichotomy: on one hand the fearless businessman & aviator and on the other, a terrified human being just trying to get through life.
Lastly, I thought all the performances were wonderful. Especially DiCaprio. And why is anyone that knows any of his work surprised? I enjoyed him tremendously in "This Boy's Life," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" and "Catch Me if You Can." I was totally immersed in his character in each of these movies. And his passion on screen for his art and the people he becomes is compelling and sincere. Cate Blanchett was more than just imitation as well. Despite playing an even more famous on-screen presence than HH, she isn't just imitating Kate Hepburn, she is being her for us on screen. All the rest of the cast did very well too. I enjoyed Alan Alda's annoyingly smug senator Brewster. Not since "And the Band Played On" have I enjoyed disliking him on screen so much.
Well, I hope to have given insight into why this is a movie worth watching. No movie could ever truly encompass a man's life or explain his proclivities- but this movie attempts to show some of the depths of depression and the heights of his happiness. I know I will see it again and look forward to owning it myself on DVD. Thank you to both Mr. Scorsese and Mr. DiCaprio for bringing this moving mystery of a man to the screen.