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Several heavily-hyped studio films are competing for your Christmas vacation dollars this week. But are any of them worthwhile? Will they give you something to discuss with your friends and family? Are they merely entertainment, or do they offer something inspired, challenging, and true?

Religious press critics watched them all, took notes, thought them over, and now they're giving you their reports.

Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't dazzled critics or audiences since his astonishing breakthrough performances in This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape more than a decade ago. He's seemed content to play bland leading men in romantic adventures (Titanic, The Beach) and mixed-up punks in a few darker departures (The Basketball Diaries, Celebrity). In Catch Me If You Can, he showed that he still has some spark. But now he's impressing critics with a performance that reminds us of his formidable talents. He's playing the legendary Howard Hughes in Martin Scorsese's acclaimed new biopic The Aviator.

The film co-stars Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn, and a long list of other talents, like Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, John C. Reilly, Jude Law, Kate Beckinsale, and more. The soundtrack, by Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore, lends appropriate sweep, drama, and trouble to the proceedings. And cinematographer Robert Richardson blends myriad styles with some dazzling special effects to create one of the year's most impressive films.

My full review is at Looking Closer.

Russ Breimeier (Christianity Today Movies) says, "DiCaprio delivers the performance of his career—certainly worthy of an Oscar nomination and a strong follow-up to his good work in Gangs of New York and Catch Me if You Can. He's got the charm, arrogance, and mania down for the part, and he successfully carries the picture. Yet just as strong, and perhaps even more memorable, is Blanchett, who delightfully captures Hepburn's bossy mannerisms while convincingly lending the role some much-needed heart. [This is] … probably Scorsese's most accessible movie yet, a true Hollywood biography of impressive scale, combining old-time filmmaking with the director's usually brisk and clipped style. Expect the Academy to give Scorsese some overdue honor this year."

"DiCaprio … is utterly convincing," says Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service). "After nearly three hours, it's remarkable that you can still be left wanting more. The film maintains a terrific momentum, and the Scorsese stamp is unmistakable, several of the scenes leaving an indelible impression."

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) writes, "As good as [DiCaprio] is he is overshadowed whenever Cate Blanchett graces the screen. She is phenomenal as a young Kate Hepburn and will surely receive an Oscar nod for her performance. Scorsese rarely lets the action lag and succeeds in depicting the look and feel of America in the 30s and 40s which is when much of the film takes place."

Annabelle Robertson (Crosswalk) says, "It's not the most accurate representation of Howard Hughes' life, and it certainly misses many defining facts, but it gets at the essence of who he was. The biggest problem with the film is its lack of faithfulness to the actual story of Hughes' life. And it isn't that Logan and Scorsese misrepresent the facts; they just leave many of them out. The film and its cast and crew will garner numerous awards. Some will definitely be merited. Others will simply be consolation prizes, awarded because of the dearth of quality movies released in 2004. It's been a very bad year, indeed. Still, The Aviator is worth seeing."

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December (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48