Common Sense Media Review
By Nell Minow , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Howard Hughes biopic has mature themes, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Aviator
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
What's the Story?
THE AVIATOR chronicles the life of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio), the man who produced era-defining movies, dated the world's biggest movie stars (Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Jean Harlow), founded an airline (TWA), owned seven Las Vegas casinos, designed and test-piloted airplanes, risked fortunes and made bigger ones, and died as a recluse, the prisoner of illness and of the greedy people around him who did whatever he said instead of insisting he get help. Hughes assembles the world's largest private air force to make a movie, designs and flies experimental airplanes, gets trapped in the men's room because he can't bear to touch the germ-covered doorknob, and takes on the most formidable of opponents, from Katharine Hepburn's family to the movie rating board and Maine's corrupt senator.
Is It Any Good?
A true story that is both touching and thrilling and tons of talent on both sides of the camera are enough to make this a good movie, but not enough to make it a great one. Hughes' larger-than-life story could easily fill six movies, so even this energetic and muscular three-hour-epic feels like it's just skimming the surface. There's no way to try to cover even this one section of Hughes' life without making it feel like a "greatest hits" clip job instead of a story with a real narrative arc. And it never rises from incident to insight.
The second problem is Leonardo DiCaprio, who is a brilliantly gifted actor, but here his squint, tics, and accent make Hughes seems more like a kid struggling with ADD than the tortured larger-than-life tycoon. But no one does pageantry better than Scorcese, and this is a brilliant film, even with its flaws. Cate Blanchett brings Katherine Hepburn to life. Kate Beckinsale is adequate as Ava Gardner. The crash scene is bone-chillingly harrowing, and the scenes of old-time Hollywood reflect the director's deep love of that era. Like the life it depicts, it's uneven and fascinating.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what made Hughes so passionate about his many projects. Why didn't he want people to know he could not hear? Why wouldn't Ava Gardner let him buy anything other than dinner?
How were the contradictions in the personality of Howard Hughes conveyed in the movie -- how, for instance, he was more afraid of touching a public doorknob than he was of flying a test plane?
What facts can you glean from this movie about the origins and development of the commercial aviation industry in America? How could you learn more?
Families may also want to learn more about obsessive-compulsive disorder. Would Hughes have had to get treatment if he weren't surrounded by people who would do whatever he said to continue working for him?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 17, 2004
- On DVD or streaming: May 24, 2005
- Cast: Cate Blanchett , Kate Beckinsale , Leonardo DiCaprio
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Miramax
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 166 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence
- Last updated: June 9, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
What to Watch Next
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate