It’s been 15 years since Warren Beatty starred in Peter Chelsom’s Town & Country, which was a colossal box office bomb. The film cost an estimated $90 million just to produce and earned only $10 million worldwide, but when you factor in all of the marketing and additional costs, the film ended up losing the studio more than $100 million, so it really earned its place among Hollywood’s all-time biggest duds. And to make matters worse, it was mostly loathed by critics, so it’s not really much of a shocker that Beatty basically quit acting following the film’s short run in theaters.
After a brief flirtation with bringing Dick Tracy back, Beatty has finally returned as the writer, director, and star of Rules Don’t Apply, a romantic comedy about two people who fall in love while working for the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Beatty has wanted to make a Hughes movie since the 1970s, so not only is this his triumphant return, but it’s also his passion project.
There are also some more trailers this week, so let’s catch ‘em all like Pokemon.
Rules Don’t Apply
Directed by: Warren Beatty
Starring: Warren Beatty, Lily Collins, Haley Bennett, Alden Ehrenreich
What’s it about?
An unconventional love story of an aspiring actress, her determined driver, and the eccentric billionaire who they work for. [IMDb]
It’s hard to look at this trailer objectively because it’s great to see Beatty back in a starring role, and in this case a passion project that he has crammed with so many stars and great actors. This looks like a great, fun comedy that should earn Beatty plenty of Oscar buzz, considering it hits theaters on November 11. God help us all if this one bombs, though. Then we’ll never get Dick Tracy 2: Really Old Dick.
Loving
Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Ruth Negga, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton
What’s it about?
Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, are sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958 for getting married. [IMDb]
If the movie is as beautiful and emotional as the trailer, it’s time to invest in Kleenex. All I saw from people sharing this trailer this week was “I’m crying so much” and “I can’t stop crying” and “Beep boop borp I finally know human emotion.” Another awards season contender, Loving hits theaters on November 4, and we’re going to ride the high of this emotional story of interracial love right into a different take on the same topic…
White Girl
Directed by: Elizabeth Wood
Starring: Morgan Saylor, Brian ‘Sene’ Marc, Justin Bartha
What’s it about?
Summer, New York City. A college girl falls hard for a guy she just met. After a night of partying goes wrong, she goes to wild extremes to get him back. [IMDb]
Justin Bartha seems like an odd actor to be associated with this film, but I’m also biased because I’d appreciate it if he would round up his friends, Nic Cage and Diane Kruger, and get to work on National Treasure 3 already. Damn you, Bartha. As for White Girl, it certainly has that Kids vibe and critics have given it plenty of praise. White Girl starts the party on August 26.
Other People
Directed by: Chris Kelly
Starring: Jesse Plemons, Zach Woods, Bradley Whitford, Molly Shannon
What’s it about?
A struggling comedy writer, fresh off a breakup and in the midst of the worst year of his life, returns to Sacramento to care for his dying mother. [IMDb]
Chris Kelly — like Elizabeth Wood with White Girl, Jeff Nichols with Loving, and Warren Beatty with Rules Don’t Apply — both wrote and directed this family drama, which, based on the trailer, makes me think that Molly Shannon might get some awards buzz of her own. And that would be great because (hot take coming) she’s wonderful. Always funny and an absolute scene thief. Plemons is also a fine actor, so despite the sad stuff, everything about this movie looks wonderful. Other People is due on September 9.
A Monster Calls
Directed by: J.A. Bayona
Starring: Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, Liam Neeson
What’s it about?
A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mom’s terminal illness. [IMDb]
Enough with the dying moms already, Hollywood. New rule: only one movie trailer per week for that plot device. There is simply too much emotional stuff happening this week, and I refuse to have to go into my backyard to ask my various trees and overgrown weeds to be my own personal monster. But because Neeson is involved in this one, I have to ask: does the boy get taken? Is the monster going after some Russian mobsters or sex trafficking Ukrainians or whatever? Because that would be a fun twist. A Monster Calls on October 21, but remember to turn off your phones in theaters.
Tallulah
Directed by: Sian Heder, who also wrote it
Starring: Uzo Aduba, Ellen Page, Zachary Quinto
What’s it about?
Desperate to be rid of her toddler, a dissatisfied Beverly Hills housewife hires a stranger to babysit and ends up getting much more than she bargained for. [IMDb]
My goodness, we are really dealing with some heavy themes and depressing stories this week. I’ve already watched the Rules Don’t Apply trailer twice to keep my spirits up. Tallulah hits theaters on July 29, but if you’re feeling sad from all of this week’s trailers, don’t worry, I’ve got you…
Billionaire Ransom
Directed by: Jim Gillespie
Starring: Ed Westwick, Phoebe Tonkin, Dominic Sherwood
What’s it about?
Students at a reforming school for rebellious rich kids take matters into their own hands after the campus is taken hostage by a group of criminals. [IMDb]
Look, whoever you people are, you can’t just jack the plot of Toy Soldiers and pretend we’re not going to notice. But that’s just typical action movie recycling, so I don’t really care about that. What blows me away is how little I care about any of the characters in this movie, based on the premise offered in the trailer. Armed mercs hold spoiled a-hole rich kids hostage at their spoiled rich kids detention center? F*ck ’em! I’m pulling for the mercs when I watch this movie – and I am going to watch this one, because it’s everything I want in a movie – but I will secretly be hoping for the funniest possible “lesson learned” payoff. Like, the billionaire dads roll up in their Bentley limo after the kids kill all of the trained murderers and one says, “Great job, kids. We’ll see you at home… you can take your helicopters.” And the rich kids all high five because they just got their own helicopters that are made of diamonds. God, there’s no way this lives up to the bar I just raised for it. Billionaire Ransom is probably on VOD on August 19.
