The Aviator (2004)

Martin Scorsese crams a glittering Hollywood party movie and a lonely breakdown movie into one plane, and at 170 minutes it’s a little overweight on takeoff. The first half is champagne, premieres and Howard Hughes buying aircraft like they’re sneakers. The second half locks him inside his own head, and the switch is so sharp you can feel it in your neck. The Senate hearing late in the film feels like an encore instead of a climax. Still, Leonardo DiCaprio commits completely, especially in a restroom scene where Hughes can’t bring himself to touch the door handle and just waits, which hits harder than the crash sequence. And the crash sequence is incredible. Cate Blanchett plays Katharine Hepburn like a tennis serve, all snap and speed, and steals the whole middle. Alan Alda as a slippery senator is a delight. A 7.6 because it’s big, gorgeous and serious, but it never decides which movie it wants to be. $56.04 says you pitch a wildly expensive idea at work this month with Howard Hughes confidence and zero budget.

What works: DiCaprio’s fully committed Hughes, Cate Blanchett’s crackling Hepburn and a crash sequence that still rattles your seat.

What doesn’t: At 170 minutes it sags in the late stretch, and the hard turn from glamour to breakdown never fully blends into one movie.

Who it’s for: Fans of old Hollywood, aviation nerds and anyone who likes their biopics big, expensive and a little obsessive.