Review of Me and Orson Welles (2008) by Lainie N — 14 Jul 2010

To be sure, the 'Me' in the title is the star and Welles is relegated to just one of the next lead performers. Whether this is a design flaw will be a matter of taste. Claire Danes is dazzling and immensely charismatic, being flirty but not exploitive. Christian McKay wonderfully channels Orson's bravado, brilliances and brittleness and Zoe Kazan as Greta, Richard's off stage friend, is the model of youthful enthusiasm laced with self doubt and an endearing personality. As for Zac Efron, it is rare for a teenage heart throb to develop into a genuine actor but Efron is one such novelty -- this film shows he is a real actor and will be a star for audiences of all ages for years to come.

This is the third 'play within a play' this year (after NINE and I, Don Giovanni) and probably the best. The production is excellent all round. Richard Linklater's direction is tight, shot in a brown sepia and Holly Gent Palmo's screenplay (based on a Robert Kaplow novel) is a feature with dialogue that cuts to the essence of the personalities without stereotyping -- Welles for all his bravado has his moments of self doubts, genius and cowardice, Richard and Greta have their youthful excesses without marking them juvenile. And who can go wrong with the music of era resonating throughout.

A failure as a biopic of Welles but a simple joy as entertainment.