Thursday, March 28, 2024

Warren Beatty Dubs Himself and Wife of 25 Years Annette Bening: “Warnette” (He Says, Sounds Tough)

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Quite a night at the New York Film Festival as Mike Mills’ wonderful and certain to be nominated for many Oscars “20th Century Women” debuted to a massive standing ovation. Star Annette Bening leads a terrific ensemble, and she was there with husband Warren Beatty, whose first movie in 16 years– “Rules Don’t Apply”– will be unveiled shortly.

Noting that this looks like the year of Warren and Annette I asked Beatty at the after party dub the couple a combined name a la “Brangelina” (except of course the Beattys are married 25 years, with 4 kids, and nothing is changing). Warren pondered for a moment and pronounced “Warnette” as the moniker. “It sounds tough,” he said. “Yeah!”

I asked Warren if Annette guided their own brood they way takes hold of the hilarious makeshift family in “20th Century Women.” In typical Beatty fashion he stammered, then said: “Well, you know, there is a father in our family.”

This was the second time he’d seen the film, and he was overcome. “My quote?” he said. “Annette Bening is the best actress in the world. Anywhere,” he said, emphatically.

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“20th Century Women” features substantial performances from Billy Crudup, Elle Fanning and Greta Gerwig, not to mention a 15 year old named Lucas Jade Zumann who is absolutely extraordinary. There’s also a great soundtrack from 1979 that features the Talking Heads’ “Don’t Worry About the Government” and “The Big Country” from their first two albums.

Annette was beaming through the party, accepting kudos for playing Dorothea, a very complex, beautifully drawn character. “I can’t tell you how satisfying it is that people like this movie,” Annette told me. She is blown away.

What a great season for films! “20th Century Women.” “Manchester by the Sea,” “Lion,” “La La Land,” “Hell or High Water,” “Jackie,” “Moonlight,” “Birth of a Nation” plus three films we lost during the spring — “Captain Fantastic,” “Sing Street,” “Everybody Wants Some.” And many more to come…

Photo Showbiz411 c2016 by Paula Schwartz

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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