I’d always imagined that Howard Hughes was an exceptional, larger than life person. In my head I saw this rich, brilliant, successful daredevil with a big appetite for life.
Who knew that the real Howard Hughes was an obsessive compulsive paranoid shell of a man that hated the media, was partially deaf and liked sitting in the nude in his screening room.
That’s the first thing the Aviator did for me. It opened my eyes to the man who was really Howard Hughes.
It’s a fascinating tale of those times, where airplanes were just evolving and some of Hollywood’s most famous stars were fresh faces on the scene. The film journeys through the life of Howard Hughes, aviator and movie mogul.
He was a man who did things only the way he saw fit, and no other way. Whether it was his movies, his planes or his women, Howard wanted things a certain way. His vast riches and almost uncanny vision of aviation made him a household name, amidst some resistance. However, his personal demons often pulled him back.
Despite his penchant for women, he cared very deeply about some. Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardener, for instance. The appearance of these two draw Hughes character out as a man and friend, while the rest of the film profiles his brilliance in aviation.
A brilliant performance by Leonardo Dicaprio. The supporting cast of Cate Blanchet, Kate Beckinsdale, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda and John C. Reilly are superb as well. This film is well worth the watch, and the many Oscar nominations it received. Although I found the ending a bit abrupt, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.