MOVIE REVIEW: Rules don’t apply to this new movie

WARREN Beatty is a Hollywood movie star famous to those of an older generation. 

And he recently became infamous to a worldwide audience for helping to read out the wrong ‘Best Film’ award at this year’s Oscars. Well Beatty’s back with a new film, and he’s hoping to grab some more headlines.  

‘Rules Don’t Apply’ is set in 1958 Hollywood, where a small town beauty queen and devout Christian, Marla Mabrey (played by Lily Collins), under contract to the eccentric filmmaker and inventor, Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles for a test screening. 

At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Aiden Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his childhood sweetheart. 

Their instant attraction not only causes complications for the two, but also for their boss, Hughes who is insistent that no employee have any relationship with a contract actress.

Beatty is no doubt a man of great talent, being the only person Oscar-nominated on two separate occasions, for acting, directing, writing and producing the same film. 

As a self-confessed control freak, he may enjoy having a finger in every pie, but that can lead to confusion as to who is eating what. And confusing is a good word to describe this film. 

The story takes a while to get going with a collection of very odd two-second scenes which feel badly edited, but things do finally improve when the film decides it wants to be a full on comedy. 

Hughes was an odd character and in many ways the movie pokes fun at his eccentricities which may seem a little old fashioned and non PC. 

In that respect some may be offended at not only Hughes’ portrayal, but also the Hollywood casting couch antics, which hopefully are a thing of the past. 

The all star line-up consisting of Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Ed Harris and Martin Sheen, help to provide entertainment throughout the sometimes confused amalgamation of scenes and overall, we score this offering a slightly demented, though watchable, 2.5 out of 5 stars. 

Other Releases: Unforgettable – 2 Stars

Paul O’Rourke