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Rob Edelman: Bring Out The Old, Bring In The Old

Welcome to the New Year! And given an event that is set to occur in a few weeks-- on January 20th, to be exact-- this is as good a time as any to cite a film that came to theaters near the end of what now is last year. This film is scripted and directed by Warren Beatty, who also stars. Beatty soon will be celebrating his 80th birthday, and it is his first film in 15 years. The title is RULES DON’T APPLY and, given its central character, RULES DON’T APPLY is a perfect description for this film and its central character.

RULES DON’T APPLY is the story of a real person. Beatty plays Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire who occasionally has been portrayed onscreen. He has been played by, among others, Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s THE AVIATOR, Jason Robards in Jonathan Demme’s MELVIN AND HOWARD, and Tommy Lee Jones in THE AMAZING HOWARD HUGHES, a made-for-TV movie. DiCaprio earned a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for THE AVIATOR, and Robards won a Best Supporting Actor nod for MELVIN AND HOWARD. But Warren Beatty will earn no such citations. RULES DON’T APPLY is the kind of film that I will uncomfortably sit through and find myself glancing at my watch in anticipation of the arrival of its end credits.

Still, what is worth noting about RULES DON’T APPLY is its subject and how Beatty presents him, and how-- even though Howard Hughes passed away over four decades ago-- this portrayal resonates in the present day. For openers, the title RULES DON’T APPLY mirrors the personality of the onscreen Howard Hughes, and it mirrors the man who won the most recent presidential election. In the film, Howard Hughes is depicted as a quirky, bossy, father-obsessed billionaire who orders his underlings around as if they are his slaves and he is their master. But because of his power and the size of his wallet, they are compelled to accede to his wishes and be little more than yes men. No matter how outrageous his commands, all they can tell him is: “Yes, Mr. Hughes.”

In RULES DON’T APPLY, Howard Hughes sits by himself in his screening room and watches clips from HELL’S ANGELS, the 1930 World War I aviation tale for which he himself is credited as director. Tellingly, all these clips seem to spotlight are little more than crashing airplanes! At one point, he received a call from the White House but, at that moment, he is more concerned with securing some banana nut ice cream-- so one of his underlings is dispatched to get him his coveted banana nut ice cream. It is not surprising then when this Howard Hughes dispenses some sage advice. And that advice is: “Never trust anybody!”

Does all of this sound familiar, in relation to the present-day billionaire businessman who has had showbiz connections and who recently entered politics?

Now at the start of RULES DON’T APPLY, I was anxious to see Warren Beatty onscreen. As I say, he has not appeared in a film in a decade-and-a-half. And as the film begins, a host of famous faces show up. Oh, there’s Matthew Broderick. Oh, there’s Annette Bening, who off-screen is wed to Warren. Oh, there’s Martin Sheen. Oh, there’s Candace Bergen. Oh, there’s Ed Harris. But where is Warren? Finally, after what seemed like an hour into the film, there he is. Or more precisely, there is Howard Hughes. And when he first appears, he is in the shadows: an image that certainly is appropriate, given the portrait of him that emerges.

Finally, with all this in mind, it is ever-so-appropriate that one of the famous faces who shows up later on is Alec Baldwin, that great impersonator of the man who, on January 20th, will become the new United States President...

Rob Edelman has authored or edited several dozen books on film, television, and baseball. He has taught film history courses at several universities and his writing has appeared in many newspapers, magazines, and journals. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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