Jean Harlow, played by Gwen Stefani, and Howard Hughes, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, in a scene from "The Aviator," depicting the premiere of 1930's "Hell's Angels." (Gannett News Service, Andrew Cooper/Miramax) The Aviator Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Jude Law, Kate Beckinsale, Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Gwen Stefani. Director: Martin Scorsese. Rated PG-13: Thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language, a crash sequence. Running time: 166 minutes. view the trailer | official website A biographical chronicle which charts the early years of famous tycoon, Howard Hughes (1905-1976), whose ecclectic career spanned across everything from oil, for which he cared little, to film, casinos, and aviation--as he turned millions of dollars into billions.

Dec 22, 10:56 AM

'Aviator' visually astounding

BY CHRISTY LEMIRE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

  Nearly three hours later, I still don't understand Howard Hughes any better than when I sat down to watch "The Aviator."

Oh, the film is visually astounding and all. Martin Scorsese's latest extravaganza is truly a sight to behold, constantly dazzling and frequently thrilling. Every detail is perfect -- as you'd imagine from a director who's as famous for perfectionism as the eccentric billionaire Hughes -- from the Art Deco accents on the stairway railings in Hughes' office to the red lipstick Gwen Stefani wears during a brief appearance as Jean Harlow.

Strong performances abound, from star Leonardo DiCaprio to Cate Blanchett as Hughes' legendary love, Katharine Hepburn, to Alan Alda as a scheming senator.

See it for the plane crash alone -- a wondrously thunderous spectacle in which the stubborn Hughes refuses to land his newest aircraft during a test run, and plows it into the top of a Beverly Hills mansion.

That's actually a great word to describe the whole film: It's a spectacle.

Maybe Scorsese and screenwriter John Logan ("Gladiator," "The Last Samurai") were doomed from the start in trying to tell the story of someone so notoriously mysterious, yet at the same time larger than life.

We know the eccentric billionaire had a germ phobia so intense he carried disinfectant soap in his pocket wherever he went, and that a speck of lint on a business associate's lapel would render him incapable of completing a sentence. But why?

We know the young Texan sunk thefamily drill-bit fortune he inherited into airplanes and movies -- and sometimes, as in the 1930 film he produced, "Hell's Angels," he threw millions at movies about airplanes. But why?

By recreating some of the key moments of Hughes' life -- including buying TWA, setting new speed records, competing with Pan Am chief Juan Trippe (a convincingly conniving Alec Baldwin) and dating glamorous starlets -- but providing little insight, "The Aviator" feels like a lavish, handsome game of dress-up.

Costume designer Sandy Powell outfits everyone flawlessly (Kate Beckinsale looks jaw-droppingly beautiful as Ava Gardner).

As for the names you're more familiar with, Blanchett is a complete joy to watch as Hepburn: She's not doing a dead-on impression, and she shouldn't be, but she definitely embodies the actress' spirit.

Then there is DiCaprio.

The theory exists that he looks too young to play Hughes. I have no problem with that; his charisma and energy, which made him so similarly irresistible last year in "Catch Me If You Can," help him overcome his innate boyishness. And once Hughes descends into madness and hides inside his screening room -- naked, unshaven, muttering to himself and urinating into empty milk bottles.