This is BS

[Skip]

Kate does't deserve this treatment. I'm talking about movie critics bashing on Kate's role as Ava Gardner. I read a lot of critics at www.rottentomatoes.com but a lot of those critics bash Kate for some reason, saying things like "a terrible miscast" or things like that.

It's realy unfair. Granted, I haven't seen the entire movie to judge or have seen the real Ava Gardner in action on a real movie, I'm sure Kate did her role real well, and it seems those critics purposely oversee the fact that Ava wasn't featured as much as Katherine Hepburn in the movie. I watched Kate's interview with David Letterman and he showed a short clip of Ava Gardner and Howard in the movie, I thought wow she looks stunning and she played the role really well (gotta love it when she said "I am not for sale" ) If Kate has been given a much bigger role as Ava in the movie, I'm sure she would have more chance to show her great acting qualities.

Just want to let you all know some piece of my mind about this BS.

[pibby]

Well, if you did see the movie, you would notice that Kate's scenes make up like less than 5 minutes of the movie. With her and Cate Blanchett (making up 25+ minutes), there isn't anyone else to judge, so they go after them. Gwen Steffani is in it for like 90 seconds, so most critics don't even bother with her. The movie is based around Hughes, aka Leo, so when it comes to judging the rest of the cast, of course they aren't going to get the credit they deserve. There are just as many criticisms on Cate's Katharine Hepburn as there are on Kate's Ava Gardner, if not more.
I have seen the movie three times, and I can tell you now, when Kate enters a scene as Ava Gardner she owns it. Owns it. There is no looking away- she has such a presence as this character.
Critics are critical, it's their job. They are gonna nit-pick at every little detail no matter who the actor or actress is. At some point you realize that you have to take these criticisms with a grain of salt. One (wo)man's opinion is theirs. The only way you can judge is to see the movie yourself. Critics get paid to write- if they have to write 500 words on their "opinion" of the Aviator in order to get paid, then surely the nit-picking will arise.
All I can say is see the movie. Watch as Kate walks into a scene and owns it- just like Ava Gardner would have. Kate has given numerous interviews about how she was daunted by the script saying "in walks the most beautiful woman in the world," and in my opinion, she does walk in with that thought and succeeds with brilliance.
"Opinions are like assholes- everyone's got one."
I can assure you, when that DVD comes out, I will be fast forwarding through the Leo stuff and watching as Kate walks in and owns the place

[sara thomas]

^ the people who say that kate didn't performe well need to take a shit i tought she did a great job

[Skip]

yeah you're right about the whole critics job thing I guess. Hopefully she gets a very big role in a very big movie this year, such as Psylocke in X3

[RoRy]

well i havent seen the movie yet...but i dont think kate would d done such a bad job..i mean..yeah she doesnt has the same experience than dicaprio and blanchett in winning oscars movies...and i dear myself to say that she isnt that good either...but as skip said...this is bullshit

[sara thomas]

well i think she is a very good actres only because she had played in a couple of shity movies her acting skille couldn't come out yet

[RoRy]

well i think she is a very good actres only because she had played in a couple of shity movies her acting skille couldn't come out yet

well i agree with you there ...but not all of her movies have been shitty

[sara thomas]

^true , but some of them where shitty

[Summ]

Could we please remoderate the language here? Thank you.

Now ... without having seen the movie, I know this ... I have yet to see a movie in which Kate stars and in which she doesn't fill out the shoes of her character. From Van Helsing and Underworld to Pearl Harbour and Serendipity ... Kate is so charismatic and so talented, one wants to watch a movie just because she's in it ... but having the critics admit that will probably be harder than to flush out Osama Bin Laden!

[kbecksfan]

Hey Skip, I'm pretty sure I saw you post a question about my thoughts about Kate as Ava in the Aviator. Sorry it's taken so long to respond.

Well I've seen it three times now and am going a fourth this week and let me tell you it ain't to watch Leo, Cate, Alan or even Martin's direction again - though I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate each and every contribution to this terrific movie - but as an Ava Gardner fan through and through, Kate has managed to bring her very essence back to the silver screen and I, for one, love it!

Ava Gardner was an absolutely stunning woman, who would not be controlled or owned, not by any man, not by MGM, not by anyone. She did her own thing, said what she wanted, using some very colorful language indeed. She was honest and loyal and she used to say that when she lost her temper you couldn't find it anywhere. She was most desired and completely captured all attention, in a room as well as on screen.

Now obviously no one is going to look like Ava Gardner or much like any of the others for that matter (for the life of me I can't imagine criticising an actor for that - but there ya go) but Kate is absolutely gorgeous and she certainly manages to convey all that I listed above and then some. What's more, she manages to do it with precious little screen time in what is, without doubt, the most underwritten part in the movie. More impressive still, is that as small as her role is, it is not even presented in succession, she kind of pops in and out without a real beginning, middle or end. As written, and/or edited, there is no flow to her scenes as there is in the scenes of Hughes' relationship with Hepburn. Still, Kate commands your rapt attention each time she pops up on screen, just as Ava did.

So trust me, I completely understand your frustration in reading some pretty unforgiving reviews but, as Pibby mentioned, there are some harsh reviews for Cate and Leo as well, though, as with Kate, the majority have been very positive. What I found most interesting was the number of reviews in which the reviewer stated that at first they had trouble getting into either Leo or Cate's performance but were eventually won over. I can't help but wonder if some of those reviewers criticising Kate might not have been won over in much the same way if she had been afforded even slightly more screen time.

See that, ask a simple question... - and you get a damn essay - bad grammar and all.

Hey, you asked.

[Waddlewar]

A week after seeing Aviator the first time I got up early one Saturday and turned on TCM. I recognized Vincent Price and Charles Laughton and Robert Taylor but didn't recognize the movie. There was a beautiful slender woman and I sleepily thought, well, there's a woman with a mouth pretty as Kate Beckinsale's. Of course then I woke up enough to laugh myself silly because I realized I was watching Ava Gardner. But did Kate really pull off a good imitation Ava? I sure didn't think so when watching Aviator but I think maybe like too many critics I think of Ava in her boozy broad roles like Mogambo and Night of the Iguana. Watching The Bribe, which was made closer to the years being protrayed in Aviator, I realized that Kate is a helleva match physically for Ava, except for not having Ava's cleft chin and, perhaps, a bit less of the busty substances. It's the voice I'm not sure Kate got. I'll have to wait for the DVD so I can play it opposite some Ava Gardner movies to see if I'm wrong about that. Kate was at a serious disadvantage compared to Cate B. since Ava didn't have all those exaggerated mannerisms of Katherine Hepburn most any drag queen can grab onto. Kate is an Englishwoman trying to put over an American accent that itself was an invention since Ava was hiding her own North Carolina farmgirl accent. And I'm not sure it matters that much. I've seen other portrayals of Ava in biographical movies and it didn't bother me if the voice wasn't dead on. Kate makes quite a lot out a very meager role. If nothing else she got the biggest audience laugh of the movie both times I've seen it. And I've always thought Kate is at her best when being sharply funny (Cold Comfort Farm, Last Days of Disco).

[Skip]

woah thx for the relies. you know what, screw the critics, the most important thing is that if most audience enjoy the show who cares about the critics right?

[RoRy]

woah thx for the relies. you know what, screw the critics, the most important thing is that if most audience enjoy the show who cares about the critics right?

ç

exactly....a movie should be made for the public not the freaking critics

[kbecksfan]

Personally, I can't wait to get a hold of the DVD.

I think Kate does a great job of getting Ava's Hollywood makeover accent. There are a couple of moments in the "you can buy me dinner" scene that are almost eerie in spite of the fact Kate's voice is not as low as Ava's was.

The Bribe was made in 1949 so it is definitely in the range of when the movie takes place. I do agree Kate far more resembles the Ava that first came to Hollywood, before the haircut and the reputation.

I don't know if anyone here has seen the movie The Killers, with Burt Lancaster, which was made in 1946, but man that is the movie I think of when I see Kate in The Aviator, not her personality, but definitely her look.

[Waddlewar]

I don't know if anyone here has seen the movie The Killers, with Burt Lancaster, which was made in 1946, but man that is the movie I think of when I see Kate in The Aviator, not her personality, but definitely her look.

Okay, so I like that I'm not the only film fanatic on this site, so I went an rented The Killers because I hadn't seen it in a while. Don't know if I would recommend it to others since Ava isn't in it much. But it is a good example of where Kate picked up the voice she used in Aviator. Still I think Kate missed a bit of twang Ava had. Does anyone know if Kate used any kind of voice coach on this? All I've heard about is how she had to get the voice overnight for the audition.