SummaryIt’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious...
SummaryIt’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious...
The wonder of the movie, which Mr. Beatty wrote and directed from a story he wrote with Bo Goldman, is that it is so good-humored. Fools and idiots abound, but demonic, systemic evil does not.
This is Beatty’s first film in 15 years, a project he’s been working on for 40 years, and it’s immensely pleasing to see him in such fine form. Or, as his obsessive-compulsive subject would say, such fine form. Such fine form.
If you in any way enjoy the character of Howard Hughes (say from the Aviator) I would highly recommend this film. It is interesting to see a completely different take on the man, I can't say one was better than the other. The only downside is maybe this film does not get to the core of the man quite how Aviator did. But this film instead offers up some very funny lines, and focuses more on Hughes as he aged, exploring some parts of his life that the "Aviator" did not. While the film is not perfect, I really liked it, for the comedy, the romantic aspect, and the curiosity that is Howard Hughes. Really enjoyed it.
Kinda wonky, just like I how I read about Howard Hughes life anyway. I laughed a bunch and it was a good movie to take my parents to. I would recommend seeing it.
While writer-director Warren Beatty’s movie about Hughes is crafted of the finest materials, it too remains mostly earthbound, defying gravity only in fits and starts.
Beatty tries hard to re-create the look and feel of late-’50s Hollywood as it existed both on-screen and off, aided by DP Caleb Deschanel and terrific costume and set contributions. And yet, it actually comes off too conservative for its own time, with stiff performances from Collins and Ehrenreich.
Beatty packs the movie with labored period references and unsubtle allusions to Donald Trump. He delights in Hughes’s high-handed wisdom, his high-stakes gamesmanship, and his petty idiosyncrasies, while looking ruefully at his paranoid reclusiveness.
This movie purports to be about a young couple (Alden Ehrenreich & Lily Collins) that fights falling in love because it's against their bosses' rules. In reality (pun intended), their relationship is peripheral to the story's central character: Howard Hughes (played by the film's writer/director Warren Beatty). Granted, their lives are greatly affected by the billionaire, but at heart, the movie's about Hughes' increasingly peculiar lifestyle and Beatty's eccentric portrayal. It's fun to enjoy the '40s period and watch the elaborate systems set up around the famous recluse. The performances are good, the situations are interesting and the pacing never lags, but the plot rambles and never offers any kind of emotional involvement or compelling dramatic payoff.
...you ain't wrong about that.
I mean, a young Han Solo **** in his pants and Lily Collins doesn't have the personality of a salted cracker, as we thought. Warren Beatty took time off to come back for this? That's sad.
A film director, his actress and her driver!
I kind of felt deja vu. I don't remember the title, but it was similar to this from the recent time, where it revolves around a taxi driver and a woman who wanted to be an actress. In this the distinct feature was the Beatty's role. After returning from the retirement, he's in business now. Directing it, as well as in one of the prominent characters. An 80 years old and still has left lots of spark in him. It was really a great comeback, yet the film is not fully convincing. Even though an enjoyable one, particularly for the awesome performances by all.
The film was about Howard Hughes, but I don't know whether it is a biopic or just inspired by. Anyway, it was in the backdrop of Hollywood film industry. The story takes place between three characters, including a driver, film director and a wanted to be an actress. Triangular romance, but not exactly a romance film. Everything was drama, on the struggles between their professions. Often the narration jumps off to Hughes other business affairs. Overall, it comes back to the original path and takes us to the conclusion.
A very slow screenplay. I'm used to such kind of narration, so I did not find any hard to finish it off. But it won't be same for others, especially if you are not interested in what the film plot deals with. And it is over two hours long. It covered everything it wanted to tell us. They should have avoided them, to make the film a bit quick which would have worked in its favour. Beatty is a very conscious man. Look at the Oscars, he knew the error, but while having a doubt, his partner hurried and announced the winner. I hope he makes another film very soon and stun everybody who criticised this one.
5/10
This flaccid flick was a big budget dud for supperannuated star Beatty. The center of the story, occupied by the loony billionaire Hughes, is pretty weird at best. The main focus is on a young man named Frank and a girl named Marla, both of whom have come into the Hughes orbit in pursuit of their dreamss, which are success in real estate for Frank, and Hollywood **** for Marla. They are hot for each other but unable to consummate things because of various obstacles, like Hughes's rules. This is an attempt at some classic Hollywood, and to some extent it works - the cruising down the boulevard scenes really make it look like it is 1962 - but both the leads are lacking in charisma and some sections drag.
The movie is marketed as a romantic comedy-drama, but I didn't find the movie funny, romantic, or touching in any way. The cinematography is pleasing to look at, but that's about the only redeemable quality of the film. The story is a jumbled mess that doesn't really seem to have much purpose, and as it progresses, it slowly ruins all the characters and makes you root against them, instead of for them. And the conclusion/resolution of all the loose ends just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. What was the point of this movie? I have yet to find out.