Despite the fact that The Aviator has a very good chance of winning Best Picture this year, I didn't think it was that great. It's not the fact that the film changed some of the historical facts. Not only should that be expected from a Hollywood biopic, but it makes for a better, more cohesive story. I didn't have a real problem with the acting. True, Kate Beckinsale still lacked any personality and I found Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Katharine Hepburn a little stilted, but I'm finally starting to respect Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor. I might even think he deserves a Best Actor nomination (the win obviously going to Jamie Foxx). No, the real problem with this movie is that it's so long. Any film would feel long at 170 minutes, but long stretches of The Aviator limp by with almost nothing happening. This is not to say that the movie didn't have it's moments, but so much time passed between those moments that it got kind of boring.

Viewed: 1/8/2005 | Released: 12/13/2004 | Score: C

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