Rules Don't Apply (2016)

All the actors, except Warren Beatty were excellent in their roles, especially Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, and Mathew Broderick. Warren's performance was by far the worst Howard Hughes portrayal in the history of actors portraying Howard Hughes. He had no chance to compete with the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, and Leonardo DiCaprio, and he is way to old to play the young Hughes as well as the old Hughes. We ended up with Warren being Warren. Not Warren being Howard Hughes.Perhaps Warren felt he had made a mistake in the 70s when he turned down the role of Hughes, and it ended up going to Tommy Lee Jones, which made Jones' career. However, he waited too many years for the inspiration to write himself into a Howard Hughes screenplay as Howard Hughes.Also, (and most importantly) why write a "fictional" story about a man whose real life adventures are so much more interesting and complex then this convoluted drek we are given in this disaster of a screenplay? The entire effort was wasted, and sadly, there are many younger viewers unaware about Howard Hughes' life, that will interpret this nonsense as a biography of the man.The movie might have worked a little better if the story centered around Collin's and Ehrenreich's characters, and Hughes was just in the background. However, no matter how Beatty wants to market or advertise this mess, make no mistake, it's all about Howard Hughes, and Warren's poor and fictional portrayal of him.

This film of a relationship set against the influence of a disordered billionaire is engaging partly for the reason that it is not obvious exactly where it is going, but ultimately its treatment of the viewer jars.There are a number of strange moments seemingly designed to confuse the viewer, such as the implication someone is having an abortion... and then the next time we see them with their young child. Or the firing of one person who reappears without explanation in the same role a couple of scenes later. Or when a character has arranged to marry someone, and in the next scene it is announced by a third party they have married a different person. Please... this is a bad habit whether postmodern or not. Stop it.This film managed to burn through a significant amount of the goodwill it accrued, with a confusing extended whirlwind sequence related to the business tribulations of Mr. Hughes, seemingly delighting in bewildering the viewer. It made me wonder if this mischievousness suspiciously like contempt was part of the reason Mr. Beatty had not made a Hollywood film in so many years.Perhaps the truth is more simply that the film is a car-crash of editing by someone who shouldn't really be doing it. The ironic fact could have been the film would have done better with a little bit less cutting... or a little bit more! The business backdrop could have been attempted with more conviction or selectively cut whilst still making sense of the film.It's curious that none of the characters is really complete or without flaws. The girl protagonist is a fish out of water who can write songs but can hardly sing, and is trying to make a career as an actress without being able to act. Hughes is one step away from barking at the moon. And the romantic young suitor is less than charismatic or worldly, who needs to be told that baptists "are afraid of sex because it leads to dancing".A shame that the film did not manage to carry the viewer all the way through to the end and let them down instead. Hughes' antics making passengers suffer in the DC airliner turned out rather a metaphor for the film itself.

Rules Don't Apply, written, directed, starring and probably catered by Warren Beatty, is an odd mix of actual events focused on Howard Hughes (played by Beatty) and his various business dealings, and a cast of fictional characters that surround him. Real-life elements include his diminishing mental capacity, the Spruce Goose, his financial problems and more. The fictional elements involve a contract actress (Lily Collins – Phil's daughter) her driver (Alden Ehrenreich), and his boss (Matthew Broderick.)The cast is uniformly excellent and in many cases, wasted. The movie has more cameos – some lasting less than a minute – than any movie in recent memory, and features Paul Sorvino, Candice Bergen, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Oliver Platt, Alec Baldwin, Dabney Coleman, Steve Coogan and many, many more. On the other hand, the movie does a better job of faithfully recreating the late-50s and early-60s than any movie I've seen.If Howard Hughes, the time period, topic or cast interest you, wait for the DVD. Otherwise, skip this one.

In the US fifties, Marla Mabry (Lily Collins) is an aspiring actress who comes to Hollywood. As a winner of a beauty pageant, she was noticed by Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty) and given a salary of $400 a week, an apartment and a promise of a screen test. Her devout Baptist mother (Annette Bening) is skeptical of the whole affair but loves her daughter and makes the trip to La La Land with her offspring. But, what surprises await! Marla is part of a growing number of ingenues who have been given the same promises yet no one has yet seen Mr. Hughes! Each beautiful starlet is also given a driver; in Marla's case it is handsome, young Frank (Alden Ehrenreich). Very shortly, these two young folks are casting eyes at each other but there are HUGE problems. First, no driver and starlet are allowed to enter into a relationship. Then, Frank is already engaged to a lady back home in Texas and that, Marla declares, prevents the two of them from ever being a couple. Another driver, Levar (Matthew Broderick) is always watching. In addition, Frank has true ambitions to encourage Mr. Hughes to let him be part of real estate investments. After a brief kissing frenzy, Marla runs from Frank's attentions. But, confused, she finally meets Mr. Hughes and gets her screen test. Will this make her a star and does the very mysterious, baffling Howard have eyes for HER? More wild adventure is just around the corner! This very worthy film has a stellar cast which delivers in every role. What a pleasure to see Collins, Ehrenreich, Broderick, Candice Bergen, Alec Baldwin, Bening, Martin Sheen, and all the rest embody their parts to perfection! Naturally, special kudos go to Beatty, not only for his terrific turn as Hughes but also for writing and directing this unique movie. Yes, it has some uneven moments, especially in the middle of the flick, but, overall, this is an amazingly intriguing film. Add on wonderful sets and fabulous costumes and this is a treat for any discerning film lover. Tired of the humdrum movies coming out of Hollywood these days? Get No Rules Apply!