By Jocelyn Noveck, AP National Writer
Warren Beatty doesn't want us to regard "Rules Don't Apply," in which he stars as Howard Hughes, as a Howard Hughes film. It's actually a movie about late '50s Hollywood, he says, and the sexual puritanism of the era.
Indeed, Beatty doesn't appear for a long while in this much-awaited film, which he co-wrote, directed and starred in – perhaps partly to prove his point that he's not the main attraction. But come on – it's Warren Beatty, a legend who hasn't made a film for 15 years, playing America's most famous eccentric, controversial billionaire until … well, until you know who. Of COURSE it's a Howard Hughes movie.
And that's not a bad thing, because whatever you think of the new film, Beatty at 79 retains much of that youthful charisma – he may have wrinkles, but the features are still boyish – that's made him a Hollywood fixture for more than a half-century, from "Splendor in the Grass" to "Bonnie and Clyde" to "Shampoo" to "Heaven Can Wait" to "Reds."
As for "Rules Don't Apply," it's many years – decades, actually – in the making, brings together a who's who list of on-and-offscreen talent, looks gorgeous – and still feels strangely uneven and tonally confusing. But if you can get over that, it's undeniably entertaining and at times, even quirkily mesmerizing.
It's Hollywood in 1958 – just three years before Beatty himself made his mark – and aspiring starlets are descending on the town, among them fresh-faced Baptist beauty queen Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins, a gorgeous Natalie Wood lookalike). She's been invited by the reclusive Hughes to audition for his RKO Pictures.
Once there, she realizes she's just one of many aspiring starlets Hughes has brought in on contract. But when her mother (the always-superb Annette Bening, being directed by her husband for the first time) gets the willies and suggests they leave, Marla insists on staying.
Marla's handsome driver is aspiring real-estate developer Frank Forbes (the appealingly earnest Alden Ehrenreich, soon to be the next Han Solo). When Marla complains she hasn't yet met Hughes, Frank admits he hasn't met their employer, either.
Suddenly, Marla's ushered into a darkened hotel bungalow and served a TV dinner in tinfoil. Hughes appears, befuddled and amusing. He asks her name, plays some saxophone, barks into the phone to his subordinates. These include Matthew Broderick (having lots of fun as Hughes' chief driver, especially in a laugh-out-loud scene with his boss toward the end), Candice Bergen as a personal assistant, and Martin Sheen as Hughes' CEO.
The plot – often in short, choppy scenes unfolding pell-mell – careens like a pinball between Marla, Frank and Hughes. The young couple has obvious chemistry. There's a catch, though. Frank, a Methodist and a virgin like Marla, is engaged to his hometown sweetheart. And Hughes, despite his own sexual dalliances, has declared that drivers hitting on actresses will be fired.
The Marla-Frank plotline competes with Hughes' increasingly erratic episodes – taking the cockpit for a terrifying ride while singing at the top of his lungs, or ordering truckfuls of Baskin-Robbins' Banana Nut ice cream, and then declaring: "No More Banana NUT! I want French Vanilla!"
And mostly, the Frank-Marla courtship has the pizazz of, well, vanilla ice cream. The Hughes storyline? More banana nut – emphasis on nut. Which would you rather watch?
Beautiful to look at, never less than engaging, sometimes inspired and sometimes just odd, the film shifts uneasily in tone. Yet it's distinctly watchable, even when perplexing us.
Is this Beatty's final big film? At this rate he'll be in his 90s for the next one. (And still look boyish.) All the more reason to appreciate this, foibles aside. Perhaps for a man with the pedigree and charisma of Warren Beatty, the rules really don't apply – and that's OK.
"Rules Don't Apply," a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America "for sexual material including brief strong language, thematic elements, and drug references." Running time: 126 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More