“Me and Orson Welles” is a mostly joyful romp through the world of 1937 Broadway. At the center of the action is Orson Welles, a self-righteous egomaniac who, at 22, has already become a famous impresario, director, and actor. The rest of the characters are aspiring stars who, in the parlance of the movie, live for “possibilities.”
Director Richard Linklater spends little time on character exposition, preferring to maintain a rapid pace. Zac Efron plays high schooler Richard Samuels, the “Me” in the film’s title. As the film opens, he is sitting restlessly through English class. In seemingly no time after the bell rings, Richard hops the train to New York, strolls about the theater district, commandeers a drum set outside a playhouse, and immediately is cast by Welles in a soon-to-open production of “Julius Caesar.” In the world Linklater has conjured, the “possibilities” are endless, and success – even stardom – is most commonly delivered without warning through faith and fate, as much as through hard work.
Richard’s sudden stroke of luck gives the audience an enjoyable peek inside the chaotic world of the not-yet-renowned Mercury Theater Company. Welles has chosen to update “Julius Caesar” by setting it in fascist Italy. With only a week to prepare for opening night, the stage is falling apart, the orchestra lacks guidance, the lighting keeps getting moved, and Welles is still heavily editing the script. The performance could be a disaster or a rousing success, and only opening night will tell.
Richard, because he has only a bit part, has time to acquaint himself with a cast and crew that are becoming increasingly nervous about the production’s prospects. He builds a playful friendship with the other minor players, and he develops a tentative romance with the theater’s secretary.
Efron convincingly portrays a boy who bluffs his way into the production and then has to hide how awestruck he is by his own good fortune. But newcomer Christian McKay, playing Welles, is the standout performer in the film. Shifting moment to moment from ham to manipulator to tyrant, McKay channels not only Welles, but also the spirit of the era. Every time Welles feels a twinge of self-doubt, he puffs out his chest and acts the role of the Great Man until, through this acting, his confidence is restored. He brings energy, life, and hope to the restless and underpaid members of his troupe. He convinces them, despite abundant evidence to the contrary, that soon they will all be stars.
With “Me and Orson Welles,” Linklater strikes the right tone. As in most of his work, the characters actually seem to be engaging in conversation, learning from each other, and enjoying each other’s company. For much of its length, the film bounces lightly through semi-philosophical dialogue covering Linklater’s favorite topics: art, music, love, and sex. But a cloud hangs perpetually over the enterprise. Welles is a temperamental narcissist who will do anything, including bluff, plead, and connive, to get what he wants. He also is a frightening bully and a sexual predator. By focusing intensely upon Welles’ dark side, Linklater deliberately undercuts some of the comedic potential of his film, but the choice seems right, as he also reveals his characters’ vulnerabilities and gives the viewer a reason to care about them.
In the end, “Me and Orson Welles” can be regarded equally well as comedy or tragedy. The movie implies that spending a miserable day with Orson Welles would be more entertaining than spending a perfectly pleasant day without him. This, and the sense that in the man’s presence the “possibilities” – both good and bad – are endless, makes “Me and Orson Welles” a compelling film.
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater SCREENWRITERS: Holly Gent Palmo, Vincent Palmo, Jr. PRODUCERS: Steve Christian, Steve Norris, John Sloss CAST: Zac Efron, Christian McKay, Claire Danes, Ben Chaplin MPAA RATING: PG-13
