Aviator

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The Aviator
Review by Pam & George O. Singleton
H H H ½
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio	Howard Hughes
Cate Blanchett	Katharine Hepburn
Kate Beckinsale	Ava Gardner
Alec Baldwin	Juan Trippe
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Epic Biopic. Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexual situations, and nudity. Running time: 169 minutes.
Soaring mania

Leonardo DiCaprio enjoys a bravura performance as the wealthy, eccentric industrialist Howard Hughes during the prime of his life. Although Hughes died in 1976, for much of the last 20 years of his life, he was a recluse. The film focuses on his most fertile period from the late 1920s to the late 1940s, when he embodied the term "flamboyant." Best known for his accomplishments in aviation, movie production and the ability to make lots of money in the face of huge risks, Hughes was also a playboy of legendary proportions. Ever ready for a fling or a one-night stand, he managed long term love affairs with Katharine Hepburn and Ava Gardner. He was eventually undone by his obsessive compulsive behaviors and hypochondriac traits, which combined with developing mental illness.

There are segments of "The Aviator" that could stand as films on their own merit, such as the making of Hughes’s "Hell’s Angels"; the test piloting and crash of the spy plane XF-11; his testimony before Congress, or the flying of the mega-airplane known as the "Spruce Goose."

The acting and set pieces are a marvel to behold. Cate Blanchett would make anyone’s short list for best supporting actress in her role as Katharine Hepburn. Kate Beckinsale shines as the glamorous Ava Gardner. Alec Baldwin is a businessman who is "sleazy good," while Alan Alda is the senator we love to hate, unless he’s from our state.

Martin Scorsese gets both our votes for best director this year. Don’t miss this story about America and what patriotism is all about if you are a person who has "real" money.

george@reelmoviecritic.com