The Aviator

The Aviator is currently streaming in the US on fuboTV and MGM+ Amazon Channel, and in the UK on Netflix and Lionsgate+ Amazon Channels, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Leonardo DiCaprio's performance alone is worth the time investment. Available now on fuboTV — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

The Aviator arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The Aviator trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. It hit screens in 2004. The performances in The Aviator do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, The Aviator delivers. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Leonardo DiCaprio carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.