Rules Don't Apply

Warren Beatty hasn't appeared on the big screen since the mega bomb Town & Country, nor directed a movie since the highly praised Bulworth. That's finally changed with Rules Don't Apply, which finally lets him portray aviator, billionaire, filmmaker and recluse Howard Hughes.

In 1958, aspiring actress Marla Mabrey (Lilly Collins) and chauffeur Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich) arrive in Los Angeles. They're both employees of Howard Hughes, who's never one for public appearances. They develop an attraction to each other. But they're devout Christians and know the eternal consequences for inappropriate relationships. They both get the sack if Mr. Hughes finds out about their relationship. It's a while before either of them meet him in the flesh.

The rest of the movie is about Frank and Marla dealing with Mr. Hughes' erratic behavior. He's nice to them sometimes and overbearing at other times. His investors have noticed his behavior and plan a financial coup. So Howard has to find a way out of it. Our young leads are caught up as Hughes makes his counter-coup. They wonder if the price of fame is too high.

Beatty and Bo Goldman's screenplay bookends in 1964 as a press conference waits for Hughes to debunk an alleged biography of him. I immediately recognized it as Clifford Irving's hoax biography, only a decade early and the "biographer's" name changed. Come to think of it, the opening says it plays fast and loose with history. So that should've been expected.

Beatty does a good job as old man Hughes. He gets Hughes' erratic behavior down so perfectly we can love him, hate him or empathize with him. He perfectly introduces himself by not appearing until much later. His first appearance does much for Beatty as it does for Hughes. The film builds up to what a bedridden Hughes looks like behind a curtain; it's not as bad as stories say. The last scene shows Hughes at his most tender.

There's a good collection of talent on both sides of the camera. Behind the camera, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, production designer Jeannine Oppewall and costume designer Albert Wolsky provide a good recreation of Post Golden Age Hollywood. The four editors' best moment is when they unveil Hughes' famous plane, the Spruce Goose, in a harbor, after a quiet scene with Frank and Hughes. A collection of famous supporting stars surround our lead players. A few highlights include Annette Benning as Marla's mother, Matthew Broderick as Hughes' other driver, Levar, and Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen as Hughes' concerned advisers, Robert Maheu and Noah Dietrich.

Rules Don't Apply can make a good double feature with Martin Scorsese's Hughes epic, The Aviator. While The Aviator is the true story of young Hughes, this movie is the fancified story of old man Hughes. It's also a good showcase for Warren Beatty after fifteen years away from the cineplex. Now what about that Dick Tracy followup that he's wanted to do? Be prepared for a steady 127 minutes.