Little more than riveting eye candy....but the ride is enjoyable

Rating: 5/10 (22 January 2005)

Martin Scorcese delves into the mastery, ego, and madness of oil, tool, cinema, and aviation magnate Howard Hughes and comes away once again (without as much blood spattering and violence) with an unspectacular but pretty period piece, best described as riveting eye candy. "The Aviator" is every bit as visually stunning and devoid of substance as "Gangs of New York". The cast, however, tries really hard to capture the mood of the era and the persistent force that Howard Hughes became to a generation that just preceded and endured the Second World War.
I am no fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, but I must give him credit for trying hard to capture a personality in this film. He looks way too young to be Hughes (though his age at filming was similar to the age of the character he portrays) but he gives his all in his attempt (and it's a great try) to encapsulate the hardheaded ego of Hughes, a man who refused failure and closeness simultaneously during his troubled lifetime. Cate Blanchett (who should still be publicly flogged for filming "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou") perhaps does the best long-form impersonation of a famous public figure in the history of film, and I mean that sincerely. We will never know the full vim (and vinegar) of Katherine Hepburn's private life because we could never see it. We have seen her characterizations on film, however. Cate captures, in her performance, a stunning replica of Hepburn's on-screen persona in what could have been the real role of Hepburn's life had she been able do it ( that is, to portray herself in an autobiographical role).
The rest of the cast are dressed up for and act as period 1930s and 1940s personalities of the day. Even Alan Alda, who is not always much more than Hawkeye Pierce in any role he has ever done, is pretty convincing as the conniving Maine Senator Brewster.
I thought the Dicaprio scenes of madness were a bit overdone (we got the point early in the film) but the cinematography and general feel of the picture were fine other than that.
This is no Scorcese classic. However, the dude knows how to cash in on "nice" films. I am sure his more than ample retirement fund will be supplemented by the box office for this number.
If you want to laugh, cry (well not really), and kiss 10 bucks goodbye on a feel-good piece of post-art-deco-and-slightly-more-than-pap theater, then by all means, go see this. If "The Aviator" wins Best Picture, just realize that this has been very unspectacular year in cinema (unless of course you actually think anything by Michael Moore could be loosely considered cinema, then, of course, you need a red room just like Mr. Hughes).
For those of you who think all I do is hack bad films, you have been disappointed. Well not completely...
Here is the oddest sequence in this film. Leonard DiCaprio, a 31-year-old actor, looking younger than a 25-year-old Howard Hughes would have looked at the opening of his 1930 film "Hell's Angels" is arm-in-arm with 35-year-old (I have read she is actually 40) pseudo-teen-slut songstress Gwen Stefani attempting to portray a 19-YEAR-OLD Jean Harlow.
In 50 years, there will be a film on the life of Gwen Stefani called "Tragic Kingdom". In it, she will be found in a sealed room covered with red padded walls and rolling on the floor while listening to "I'm Just a Girl" or "Spiderwebs". The pounding of her fists on the floor will be peppered with her mumbling "Take a chance you stupid ho!; Take a chance you stupid ho!" The basic story of the movie will be how a troubled teen woman makes it from 16 to menopause without ever having lived a second of her life as a mature adult.
Note to Hollywood...don't take that chance, not even with another actress' "million-dollar contract". A 40-year-old playing a 19-year-old? 19-year-olds (other than Janis Joplin) never have facial lines. Come on now; you've got to be kidding me.