The story of people falling in love with art is not exactly a revolutionary narrative in cinema, but as a film student, I am a sucker for a film that tells this story well, which makes Richard Linklater’s Me and Orson Welles that much more of an pleasant surprise. While not quite in the same league of Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous, it is an undeniably charming little comedy that has an equal dose of harsh reality and sweet optimism that makes the film easily relatable.
As mentioned, there is nothing particularly original about the plot. Zac Efron stars as Richard Samuels, a teenager in 1937 New York who, surprisingly, is bored with school and longs to make a career as a Broadway actor. Luckily he meets the famous young Orson Welles (Christian McKay), who gives him the role of Lucius in his production of William Shakespeare’s drama Julius Caesar. As Samuels’ love for the theatre grows, so does his love for Sonja Jones (Considering she is played by Claire Danes, you can’t blame the kid), Welles’ ambitious personal assistant.
If there is one thing that I have learned from my years of watching films is that you should never doubt what an actor is able to do with the right material, which is why I will take this opportunity to risk ridicule from my guy friends (and a fair share of my lady friends.) and admit that Zac Efron gives an impressive performance in the film. As Richard Samuels, Efron finds a balance that serves him well. Samuels is not too far off from the puppy dog-eyed character he played in the High School Musical franchise, but the script also allows Efron to dig a little bit deeper, as Samuels’s struggles with the politics and business of show business. While I still have my reservations, Efron’s performance is a sign of self-awareness and maturity as an actor that makes me excited to see him grow in the future.
Despite this praise, the clear scene-stealer is Christian McKay. Despite the age and heritage difference, (McKay is a 37 year old British actor playing Orson Welles at 22) McKay embodies Welles, providing the character with the seductive charm and passion needed to make the audience understand why anyone would ever let Welles get away with his sometimes outrageous behaviour. In an overall very solid ensemble cast (Including Claire Danes as Sonja Jones, Welles’ assistant and Ben Chaplin as George Coulouris, Welles’ Marc Anthony), McKay is a standout and his performance demands attention come Oscar time.
Unfortunately, McKay is so good that it only pinpoints the reason that Me and Orson Welles is only a good movie instead of a possibly great one, something the young Welles would never stand for… they made him a supporting role! Its not that Richard’s story is dull, but Welles was such an exuberant, complex and larger then life character that you wish the script would dig deeper into the parallels between the two leads as they follow similar stories of artists trying to make a name for themselves. (The film takes place before the “War of The Worlds” broadcast and “Citizen Kane”) I understand that part of the appeal of Welles is the mystery behind his methods, but the script shows more of Welles as an egotistical jerk and less of Welles as one of the most brilliant and complicated figures of the last century.
However, it is hard to complain too much considering director Richard Linklater has once again created a compelling and honest look into the experiences of young dreamers. Linklater gets you caught up in the sheer magic of theatre that makes the film impossible to resist once one gets over the fear that our little sisters may actually be right about that High School Musical kid.
Final point: I have three sisters and a brother, who played that “HSM” CD non-stop for two beautiful years of my life, which I will never get back. If I can admit that Zac Efron has potential, it means something.
- John Debono