Rules Don't Apply

Filmmaker Warren Beatty's absurdly nostalgic farce centers on aviation tycoon/film producer Howard Hughes, who was known for being the most eccentric and elusive executive in Hollywood, as shown here in a 1964 prologue. Flash back to 1958, when an aspiring actress, virginal Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins), arrives in Hollywood from Virginia with her devoutly Baptist mother (Annette Bening). Marla soon discovers that she's only one of many starlets summoned by Hughes (Beatty) and paid $400 a week to “stand by” for RKO Pictures auditions. After her driver, Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), a pious Methodist with a fiancée in Fresno, recites the strict rules of Marla's contract, he admits that he's never actually met Hughes, although he is eager to have the mercurial mogul invest in a real estate deal he's devised. Eventually, Marla becomes involved with weirdly obsessive-compulsive Hughes, and Frank becomes one of Hughes's most trusted aides. Charismatic Beatty is supported by an ensemble cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Martin Sheen, and Candice Bergen. Unfortunately, while stylish, Rules Don't Apply is ultimately a stilted would-be comedy. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (22 min.), a photo gallery, the music video “The Rules Don't Apply” by costar Lily Collins, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)