L'Exception à la règle

'RULES DON'T APPLY': Four Stars (Out of Five)

The new comedy-drama-romance from writer/director/star Warren Beatty; Beatty hasn't directed (or written) a film since 1998's 'BULWORTH', and he hasn't starred in a movie since 2001's 'TOWN & COUNTRY'. In this film he plays the very eccentric, and extremely mentally ill, billionaire Howard Hughes. The movie tells the story of an aspiring young actress, and her driver (who both work for Hughes), that begin a forbidden love affair (forbidden by Hughes). Beatty directed the film and co-wrote it, with Bo Goldman (who also co-wrote such epic dramas as'ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST' and 'SCENT OF A WOMAN'). The movie also costars Alden Ehrenreich (the new Han Solo), Lily Collins, Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening, Haley Bennett, Candice Bergen, Alec Baldwin, Oliver Platt and Martin Sheen. It's received mixed reviews from critics, and it bombed at the Box Office. I liked it though.

Marla Mabrey (Collins) was an aspiring actress, that moved to Hollywood (in 1958) to work for Howard Hughes (Beatty). Mabrey was a devout baptist, from Virginia, that had never done so much as have a drink of alcohol, or engage in premarital sex. She was accompanied by her strict mother, Lucy (Bening). Right away Mabrey and her driver, Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), are immediately attracted to each other. Frank has a fiancé though, and an affair between the two is strictly prohibited (by their employer, Hughes). Hughes' bizarre quirks, and severe mental struggles, also cause challenges for their relationship.

The movie is pretty interesting, and quite entertaining, at first; then it loses it's way a little, but it does come to a pretty satisfying conclusion. The performances are all good, especially Beatty in the lead; Ehrenreich and Bennett (two very promising up- and-coming actors, that I really like right now) are also good, but severely underused. Beatty's direction is adequate enough, but the script definitely could have used a few more rewrites. I still found the film to be mostly amusing, and somewhat interesting. Howard Hughes was a very fascinating person though, that deserves a much better movie ('THE AVIATOR' was much better).

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When I first saw the trailer that announced Warren Beatty's "comeback" I was thinking at best I would find the movie above mediocre. I personally understand Beatty's stasis as Hollywood Royalty, but I myself am not the biggest fan of any of his films to feel for him like that.

I am a big fan of the film's topics, like Howard Hughes who I love both as Hollywood Royalty and his love of Aviation, two points that Beatty's movie hits upon greatly as he portrays an older version of Hughes, when his reputation turned from eccentric billionaire to complete wack job.

But Beatty's role is more of supporting one as the story centers around two people in Hughes life: Marla Mabrey ,a young scarlet with good Christian values who came to Hollywood and became one of Hughes contract girls, and Frank Forbes, Marla's driver, also with the same Christian values as Marla, that's being broken down by Tinsel Town.

It was met to be one of those quirky comedies about a quirky man, and it should have worked but it did not.

Well if you don't use it you could loose it, cause unlike other senor filmmakers, like Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen, who make film after film in order to keep the blood of creativity flowing, Beatty was living the good life having fun in the son.

Beatty may have taken a little too much time off however, and it does show in this below mediocre film.

Beatty's superstar black book could not help him, either. The parade of movie star cameos only pointed out how dull this movie is.

So, not nearly what I would expect from icon, Warren Beatty but I think I'm putting too much on a man that I don't personally have on a pedestal.

Makes all the right jabs but never hits the spot.

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Really hope in time I'll realize that I just missed something, but as much as I hate to say it, this was somewhat disappointing. Any Beatty film will certainly have much to praise, and this is no exception - looks great, sounds great, great acting from an incredible cast, many funny moments - but the story doesn't hold up to the superior levels of the other areas. Out of respect for not giving anything away, I'll be vague, but there are a couple of major plot points that are rather forced. I'll trust that the protagonist's eccentricities are accurate reflections, but by the end, I just didn't care and many moments felt more like eccentricity for the sake of eccentricity. I remain such a fan that not sure if I want people to agree with this review or convince me that I'm wrong. My apologies, Mr. Beatty. I'll see anything you make and hope this won't be your last, but overall I didn't find this whole equal to the sum of its parts.

I have so much to say about this gem that I'm not sure where to start from. Let me just say that as soon as I heard Gutav Mahler's Adagietto coming out of the Hollywood Bowl while the young virginal couple sit in the car facing the moon, I was transported to Venice, the Venice of Luchino Visconti in Death in Venice. Throughout the film Mahler's Adagietto kept magically coming back so, for me, that's the film. Art and commerce, too much and too little, life and death. Warren Beatty, writer, director, producer also stars as Howard Hughes, a character who's lived in Warren Beatty's mind for decades. He moved me. It was clear why Hughes was a character that could allow Beatty to talk about very personal things without having to do it in first person. - Mia Farrow told Michael Caine between takes in Hannah And Her Sisters: "Woody is telling me things through you" - Here Warren Beatty is telling us things about him through Howard Hughes. A mass of contradictions that can only be explained in the heart and mind of an artist. I'm already a huge fan of Alden Ehrenreich right from Tetro and here he is wonderful, tender and real. Lily Collins is new to me but Annette Bening, well Annette Bening reminded me in her few minutes on the screen that she is one of the greatest actresses we've got. Death in Venice and the last image of Howard Hughes left me with a knot in my throat. I will certainly see it again, just as sure that Rules Don't Apply will be rediscovered in years to come.

I love Warren Beatty, I always have. First time I saw him in a movie was in Bonnie and Clyde. For me his name had something magic. Splendor In The Grass, The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone, Lilith. The beauty of the man didn't seem to interfere with the character he was playing, remember All Fall Down? I waited for Rules Don't Apply with feverish anticipation, like I haven't waited for a movie since I was a kid. I sat through it for the first time, amused, surprised and delighted. But a few hours later the film started unreeling in my mind. Candice Bergen? Did I see Candice Bergen playing a secretary, handing papers, standing in the background, staring at the TV, on the phone? No, it couldn't be. Candice Bergen for goodness sake, an American icon. The thought muddled my memory of the film. I saw Rules Don't Apply again last night. Yes, it was Candice Bergen. Wow! What one will do for friends. On a second viewing I saw it as an unsentimental valentine to what it was, with a hopeful wonderous future beyond us way beyond us. I'll see it again soon and see what happens. Cheers Mr Beatty.