Me And Orson Welles

Richard Linklater’s back catalogue is full of hits and misses. This time out, and much like Orson Welles and his 1937 New York theatre production of Julius Caesar, he scores a hit. Linklater’s film tells the back story of Welles’ production up to and including its glorious opening night. Thrown into the mix is out of town teenager Richard (Zac Efron) who convinces Welles that he can play the part of Lucius in said production. Linklater’s film is high on charm as he plays up the theatrics of both producing the play and the theatrics of the highly strung actors. Zac Efron is fine as the easy going Richard, but he is blown off the screen by Christian McKay’s towering performance as Welles. McKay is superb, nailing Welles to a tee, as the film revolves around him and his effortless charm. The irony is that when McKay is off screen we miss his presence and can only pay token gestures to the other strands of the story as we wait for his return. This presents somewhat of a problem at the end as the storyline turns on an incident involving Welles and his darker side. Though representative of the more unpleasant traits of Welles’ personality, it comes so out of the blue after all the bonhomie that has gone previously it throws the final act of the film totally off the rails and we’re left twiddling our thumbs until the limp finish. Shame.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Very enjoyable, but the film is almost overshadowed by McKay’s storming performance which in turn leads to the somewhat abrupt ending. Rating: 7/10.