REVIEW: Me And Orson Welles

Me and Orson Welles (dir. Richard Linklater, 2009) ****

reviewed by Natasha Bullen

It is difficult to anticipate how a director whose past achievements range from the comedic School of Rock to the sharp animation A Scanner Darkly will handle an almost biographical insight into the volatile personality of the legendary Orson Welles. Cue the inclusion of Zac Efron, renowned all-singing, all-dancing teenage heartthrob, whose fame sprang from the undoubtedly cheesy High School Musical saga and we think we know what to expect from Linklater – the ‘Me’(Zac Efron) overshadowing the ‘Orson Welles’(Christian McKay), and let’s face it, we did not come to see another Efron show this time. What we actually came to see was if McKay could convincingly pull off a performance as one of the most talented actor/directors of all time.

Linklater sets the movie at a pivotal point in Welles’ career – it’s 1937 New York and Welles is adapting Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar for the Mercury Theatre’s first production. We follow the story through young Richard Samuels (Efron), a budding actor with no real experience, who by chance stumbles upon the cast outside the theatre. He makes a good impression with director Orson Welles who spontaneously offers him the part of Lucius after playing a simple drum roll, much to the amazement of all present. What unfurls is an uncompromising tale of the struggles of working in the industry, its pressures and its excitements, its pitfalls and its betrayals.

McKay is excellently cast as the competitive and narcissistic Welles, and physically matches him almost perfectly. What Linklater does is take us literally behind the scenes of Welles’ success, and to what cost this type of success is achieved. Presenting it through Efron’s character does not single him out as the main protagonist as you might think, rather he becomes the focus of our sympathies especially in relation to his youthful devotion to Sonja Jones (Claire Danes), the beautiful production assistant whose ambition sees no bounds. Efron proves not only that his acting ability is greater than Disney teen franchises, but also his singing ability when his sole accompaniment to his ballad is the ukulele he plays.

This is a real beauty, from start to finish. While it heavily focuses on the makings of the production rather than the characters’ stories themselves, the most striking sequence in the film is the actual opening night performance. So while you may criticise this decision in theory, when you see it onscreen Linklater’s vision truly becomes clear.