THE AVIATOR (2004)
Direction: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Kelli Garner, Gwen Stefani, Ian Holm, Adam Scott, Frances Conroy, Willem Dafoe, Jacob Davich, Jude Law, John C. Reilly, Edward Herrmann, Stanley DeSantis, Danny Huston, Matt Ross
Screenplay: John Logan
Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, The Aviator
WHAT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE SPRUCE GOOSE. . .
Imagine Citizen Kane directed by Steven Spielberg. The final result would look something like a Barry Levinson film — for instance, the superficial and glitzy Bugsy. Or, an even more appropriate example, the superficial, glitzy, and bloated The Aviator. Except, of course, that Levinson is not the man responsible for the mega-production starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the eccentric, billionaire ladies' man Howard Hughes. Strangely enough, that man is Martin Scorsese, the director of hard-hitting films such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Gangs of New York.
Scorsese, a fan of Old Hollywood, apparently wanted to have some fun with the nine-figure budget available for his latest opus. The director no doubt had a ball while making The Aviator, but whether he was able to impart that joie de filmmaking to most moviegoers is debatable.
Clocking at 169 minutes, The Aviator tries to stay aloft, but like Hughes' much-too-big and much-too-heavy Spruce Goose (aka The Hercules), this cinematic jumbo can only keep itself on air for a few minutes at a time. Central miscasting, a yearning to turn the conflicted protagonist into a (somewhat) conventional film hero, and an excess of glitz (so we won't notice the story's lack of substance) bring The Aviator down each time after takeoff.
Scorsese and screenwriter John Logan begin their tale by having us witness the boy Howard Hughes (Jacob Davich), after finishing his bath, being dried by his strange mom (Amy Sloan). That moment comes across as a simplistic and, really, unnecessary "explanation" for the adult Hughes' obsession with the opposite sex. Things don't get much more shaded after that.
By the late 1920s, Jacob Davich has grown into Leonardo DiCaprio, who happens to be one of the best actors around, but who looks like he would be more comfortable starring in "The Orson Welles Story." Although DiCaprio's performance in and of itself is flawless, he simply doesn't look the part of the up-and-coming movie magnate and inveterate seducer. When paired with Cate Blanchett's (absurdly mannered) Katharine Hepburn, for instance, DiCaprio looks like her overgrown adopted son. He's just as helpless next to Kate Beckinsale's Ava Gardner and Kelli Garner's Faith Domergue.
Not helping matters, Logan's screenplay fails to delve into Howard Hughes' intricate psyche. As a result, it's mystifying to see how Hughes could be a hypochondriacal freak — e.g., even afraid of touching door handles lest he catch a bug — while at the same time be ever so willing to exchange bodily fluids with stars and starlets alike. Just as mind-boggling is how Hughes' lapse into depression following a horrific plane crash in the mid-1940s is instantly cured after Ava Gardner shows up to give him what turns out to be a life-changing shave.
Issues such as Hughes' immense power (and his desire for more, more, more) and his ties to the US government are surreptitiously brushed aside so Logan and Scorsese can focus instead on a movie battle between hero (Hughes) and villain (crooked senator Ralph Owen Brewster, gutsily played by Alan Alda, right).
Even Hughes' voyeuristic Western The Outlaw, whose chief focus was Jane Russell's cleavage, offered more depth.
Ironically, as far as I'm concerned the best moment in The Aviator isn't the (admittedly impressive) air fight at the beginning of the film or the plane crash later on, but the brief footage from Howard Hughes' own Hell's Angels, a movie made more than 80 years ago for about 1/10th of the Aviator's (inflation-adjusted) budget.
Note: A version of this The Aviator review was initially posted in December 2004.
5 Academy Award Wins
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett
Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson
Best Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker
Best Art Direction: Dante Ferretti (art director); Francesca Lo Schiavo (set decorator)
Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell
6 Academy Award Nominations
Best Picture: Michael Mann, Graham King
Best Direction: Martin Scorsese
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Alda
Best Original Screenplay: John Logan
Best Sound Mixing: Tom Fleischman, Petur Hliddal
The opening of this review is as unfair as it is misguided (and the use of the word "would" borders on a provocation). Spielberg does not deal in superficiality or needless glitz. His dramatic work delivers on multiple levels, not the least of which is realism and substance. And imaging him taking on a big figure, be it Kane or upcoming Lincoln, carries nothing if not a promise of thoroughness and greatness. The cheap shots are just that and, frankly, any review that feels it needs to grab attention in such a hyperbolic and inflexible way does little to make the review appear worth taking seriously.
And that's not going into how it sells the wonderfully unpredictable Barry Levenson short. Ever seen The Diner or Avalon?
I think Raging Bull is probably Scorsese's best film, at least in terms of his directorial achievement. It's really a brilliant character study. I need to watch it again as well, but I was blown away the first time I saw it.
Uh-oh. We don't quite agree on this one.
Unlike you, I was eager for "The Aviator" to land so I could go home. The slickness of the production was impressive, but its overall superficiality bothered (and bored) me.
I much prefer the Martin Scorsese of "Taxi Driver" or the much-criticized "Gangs of New York."
Curiously, I'm not a "Raging Bull" admirer. Gotta watch that one again.
I'm actually surprised that I agree with a lot of the points you make here. I actually enjoyed The Aviator quite a lot. But then again I admit to being biased when it comes to Scorsese, who's admittedly my favorite filmmaker of all time. I also agree with you that DiCaprio is one of the most talented actors today. Which makes it difficult for me to admit that this movie does, in fact, have a number of (if we're being honest) pretty obvious flaws. I especially take your point about understanding Hughes psyche to heart. I think this is perhaps the key flaw of the movie, but a flaw that for me doesn't derail what is otherwise an entertaining film.
Scorsese has a tendency to explore characters who are on the outside, who don't completely fit in with their environment, with the people around them. One need look no further than Travis Bickle. Even Henry Hill, who it could be argued was completely a part of his world, makes it clear that he can't be: he's half Irish, and can never be a made man.
Now look at Howard Hughes, who is again of that type. Perhaps it would have been a more compelling and more Scorsesian film if we got a movie about Hughes from a more psychological point of view. But regardless, I think Scorsese weaves a grand story, and personally, I found the 169 minutes more than bearable. I think the point overall is that, as you say, Scorsese was seeing what he could do with a huge budget. Even if it's not a complete success, nor one of his best movies, I still find it to be more entertaining than the majority of junk Hollywood craps out on a weekly basis.
I watched The Departed at the movies by myself, leaving my husband at home with our two girls. He is a wonderful actor without over exposing himself. I like that very much about him, not to mention he is hot.