that sounds far more bitchy then I meant it to… its just I wondered where you got the fifty out of 
Bilbo leaves, Gandalf gives the Ring to Frodo and goes off for 17 years to research it, coming back, then, when Frodo is 50, to send him off. Sam, IIRC, is 35, and Pippin is 28 upon his return. Not sure about Merry.
Really?! now theres a point Ive missed everytime Ive read that book! Cheers BBF
If i remember correctly Gandalf was gone for 17 years after the party doing his research on the ring, which would make frodo 50. Also if im not mistaken this is the same age as Bilbo when he set off in The Hobit.
Now for my nitpicks, which sadly don’t have to do with facial hair and the overall yummines of the male cast:
Boromir: too assholy from the start, in the books it was a surprise when he turned on Frodo, in the movies from his first scene you get a “bad guy” vibe from him.
Sam: too clingy!! dude leave Frodo alone once in a while, maybe he’d like some privacy.
Frodo: Attention whore!! You knew you where ok when the stupid cave troll speared you, why the “omg i’ve been stabbed” face and the fake death? was aragorn paying too much attention to the orcs that where trying to kill him for your taste?
Gandalf: You have magic. Very powerfull magic. Put the sword down and fry some damn orcs! I don’t specifically recall if he used offensive magic in moria in the books, but i do know he used it in other parts of the book. Oh yeah, that nifty staff you got can push powerfull mages around, you could probably find better use for it than bonking semi retarded orcs on the head.
Yeah, I think most people miss that point. It’s interesting to note that at the time of the Party, Merry and Sam would have been not-quite tweenagers, and Pippin would have been a little kid. PJ probably did the right thing in trimming those 17 years down to an apparent few months; what works well in books doesn’t always work in movies.
Oh, and re. the original topic: Mmmmm, scruffy Aragorn. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Gimli on bathing (from his very secret diary):
DAY SIXTEEN
Legolas told me Aragorn is way into Frodo. Sam will kill him if he tries anything. Suggested to Legolas that we might want a leader who is less of a lech. Legolas then asked if I wanted to take a bath with him. Beginning to suspect that all that Elvish poetry about the glory of warrior-bonds between men just big cover-up for illicit spanking games.
I think they need to make a minor change to ROTK for the movie. Let’s have them celebrate the destruction of the ring by having a nice communal bath - Aragorn, Legolas, the Hobbits…
I’d volunteer to go keep a very close eye on Aragorn to make sure he doesn’t try anything with Frodo. We have to make sure Sam doesn’t kill him after all.
What, you never had the wind knocked out of you? No fun at all and takes a while to recover. “Not dead” is not exactly the same as “ok.” Cut the little guy some slack.
I think Aragorn looks fine with stubble. I think he would look fine without stubble. I think he would look fine with a full beard. I think he just looks … fine all around.
I was wondering when the very secret diaries would come into this discussion! 
In the book, Pippin would’ve been 8 at the party, Merry 16, and Sam 17-20 (there are two different years for his birth, so he’s either a year or 4 years older than Merry, and 12 or 15 years younger than Frodo).
My guess is that there’s only a year between the party and the time the hobbits set out on the quest in the films. Bilbo’s birthday party is Sept. 21; Frodo wakes up in Rivendell on Oct. 24. Obviously, everything between could not have happened in less than a month! And Saruman says something to Gandalf about the Black Riders crossing the River Isen at Midsummer.
So, in the film, Frodo’s 33-34. If Pippin’s at his book age for the quest, he’s 27-28. The question is are Merry and Sam’s ages between the two, making them both around 30, or are they at their book ages, in their mid/late 30’s, and supposed to be older than Frodo now?
Yes, I’ve thought a lot about this.