1006. The Aviator

The Aviator
2004
Directed by Martin Scorsese

Good morning and Happy Labor Day!  It has been an incredibly busy week, but I didn't want to neglect my lovely readers just because I have a ton of work to do.  In other words, I am using you guys to procrastinate.

The Aviator tells the story of Howard Hughes, a man who is seemingly invincible.  He survives deadly plane crashes, he successfully woos the hotties of yesteryear, and makes profitable big budget films.  Hell, he even invented the modern hospital bed.  Despite all of this, Hughes still has demons and their presence becomes increasingly obvious throughout the film's nearly three hour run time (I wonder if I will complain about that...).

This is going to be a rather short review, as I feel that the film's strengths really speak for themselves.  Leonardo DiCaprio, of course, gave a brilliant performance as Hughes.  Many actors would have completely overacted this role (I won't name any names because I don't want to get in a fist fight, but I have several rants about this topic in my arsenal), but DiCaprio approached the part with subtlety.  Cate Blanchett also did a great job as Katharine Hepburn.  Hepburn is a tough woman to imitate.  Maybe that's why people keep asking me to stop trying.

Anyway, I do have to gripe about the sheer length of the film, as I felt like the impact of the ending was slightly lessened by my own restlessness.  Still, it's Scorsese so I suppose he is worth it.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

I know this might come as a surprise, but this was the acting debut of Gwen Stefani.

Received 11 Academy Award nominations.