This will be the first of three consecutive reviews about mental illness
Howard Hughes, at the beginning of the film, is a perfectionist. And that is not mental illness to us the audience and in the eyes of the society of the film. In fact, a man who obsessively builds planes past the point any sane person would say "job well done" is seen as meticulous. It's only after the man locks himself in his projection room rewatching the same films over and over and in mortal terror of germs is he considered obsessive compulsive.
The reason I think the film really affected me was how OCD is portrayed: OCD has its positives and its negatives. It makes you clean, organized, and yes, meticulous. It can get out of hand fast though without medication, exactly as the film portrays. Touch a surface three times. Wash your hands with black soap repeatedly, that's how it starts. And it's not hard for a fragile mind like Hughes' to descend into a nightmare of tics and obsessions. Things don't turn out the way he tries to force them to, he loses a fortune of money, and people are mean to him. If I was in his situation I'd probably do the same. But life is a lot like obsessive compulsive disorder. We do compulsive actions like watch TV shows we don't like just to finish them, compulsively shop, or work jobs we hate for the routine. The geniuses in our society have just tapped into it to make a better world in mathematics, literature and yes, aviation.
Of course, it's tough to talk about this film without touching on the influence of its director Martin Scorsese. I like to read rankings, worst to first, of the filmography of filmmakers. I read rankings of my favorites like Coppola, Cronenberg, Nolan, Ridley Scott, and of course Scorsese. This one's usually in the middle from what I've seen. People naturally say Taxi Driver and Goodfellas are masterpieces while this one is just a very good film. Any other film of The Aviator's status would have been near the top of a lesser director's ouvriere, but that just goes to show how great Scorsese is. I don't think anything's missing or stands out as bad, and the flying scenes are used with an excellent blend of CGI and props. One scene where Hughes crashes and miraculously survives is thrilling to say the least. The acting all around is first rate. Dicaprio is the lynchpin, and though he is still very young in this film in 2004, he seems a man beyond his years. In terms of the several Dicaprio-Scorsese combos that have happened, this would rank high. I've never cared for Katharine Hepburn as an actress, too theatrical for my taste, but Cate Blanchett brings her to life as a caricature that is still caring in quieter moments. Actress/superstar Jean Harlow is played by fellow superstar Gwen Stefani, and the sleazy corporate rival to Hughes is played by none other than Alec Baldwin. As someone who did deal with OCD in my younger years, this film was a revelation.
**** stars out of 4
Comments