Review of Me and Orson Welles (2008) by Bennett W — 01 Jan 2010
A period piece from Richard Linklater? With Zac Efron? Believe it. And not only that, surrender to its charms. Linklater's Me and Orson Welles is a thrilling movie focusing on the theatre, and one of its most infamous proprietor's: Orson Welles.
Amidst the dazzling Mercury Theatre set, Brit actor Christian McKay plays Welles like he was tailor made for the part. He digs deep and it's incredibly moving.
Efron plays fictional character Richard Samuels, who has a chance meeting with a 22-year old Welles, and is given a small role in his production of Julius Caesar. There, he thrills to everything Welles does, and even more by assitans Sonja (Claire Danes, shimmering).
It's a wonderful, quiet little film, one of Linklater's best. The best part of it is all the actors playing actors, like James Tupper as Joseph Cotten and Leo Bill as Norman Lloyd. Then there's Eddie Marsan as Welles' theatre partner John Houseman, and he's absolutley brilliant. Like Welles so often did, often at the expense of his closest collaborators, this is a movie that makes an impact.
This review of Me and Orson Welles (2008) was written by Bennett W on 01 Jan 2010.
Me and Orson Welles has generally received positive reviews.
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