ME AND ORSON WELLES (2008)

One of the real pleasures of Lovefilm is that when bored and you will sift through the many, many releases, add things at your leisure, titles that you would never purchase, and probably not really seek out. Then one day something arrives in the post that you have no memory of adding, but you have to watch it to get your money's worth. Then when the end credits start you realise that you've just watched a film you probably wouldn't have seen had it not been for the Lovefilm lottery. And so it was that I saw Me and Orson Welles.



Richard Linklater's film follows teenager Richard (Zac Efron) as he is cast in in a production of Julius Ceaser in the famous Mercury Theatre, a production that is helmed by the great Orson Welles (Christian McKay). As the show gets closer to opening night, the tensions among the cast grow and Richard is put through a the emotional blender as he comes to terms with his talent, falls in love (with Sonja played by Claire Danes), begins to believe he can have it all only to realise that he can't.

Now I must confess I am far from an expert on the life and career of Orson Welles, so whether this is an accurate depiction of the man, his private life and his creative methods is up for debate and I won't be able to judge it on it's accuracy. What I will say though is that Richard Linklater does a fine job of taking us back to 1930's New York. The streets are thronging with people looking the part, old cars trundle up and down the streets. Real time, care and dedication has been put into making this film look the part. It also helps to make this film feel like a good old fashioned movie, like the classics that are shown at lunchtime on a weekday on BBC2. The characters all talk in that way that used to in films, slightly rhythmic, very chipper with every word properly spoken. Light years away from the modern fascination with mumbling, shouting or growling. Richard Linklater deserves praise for this, as well as for the variety in his choice of films. Fast Food Nation, A Scanner Darkly and now this. All very interesting and not remotely similar in theme or execution.

I've not seen a Zac Efron film before. No, not even any of the High School Musicals. It's clear that he is trying to prove that he is an actor to be taken seriously and he does well here. He enjoys himself with the  bygone era dialogue and plays well off the other characters. He is at his best when things are going well for Richard, confidence shining through. However, once things take a turn for the worse for his character he is on slightly less sure footing. He is never entirely convincing as a vulnerable, heartbroken teenager. Having said that, he is very likeable on screen and will have a future.

It's good to see Claire Danes back, having never really taken off from the success of Romeo and Juliet. She is perfectly good here, doing things well with what she is given.

The real joy of the film is Christian McKay as Orson Welles himself. A relative unknown, every moment he is on screen the film goes up a notch. He is all overblown exaggerated gestures, when he's happy and friendly, it's almost as though he is your best friend, but when he's angry, you really feel his wrath. It's the unpredictable nature of his actions that make him such an interesting presence on screen. As I said before, I'm not sure how close this to the real Orson Welles, but it is a joy to watch.

The film itself is a good watch, but I can't say that I ever really cared about where it was going. Was I upset when things went south for Richard, not really. Was I over the moon when he was on stage and things were going well? Nope. It isn't a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, it just isn't great. It lacks something, a soul perhaps. All of the attention in making it look authentic has been to the detriment of something else. Which is a shame, because it does look good, and I suspect when Efron's career becomes even more successful, this will be looked upon as big moment for him.

Decent, but worth seeing for Christian McKay alone.