Much of the success of Me and Orson Welles derives from Christian Mckay’s superb impersonation of the great theatrical impresario, who serves as director Richard Linklater’s shorthand for all the euphoric highs and devastating lows that is the business of showbiz. Me and Orson Welles is partly about Welles, but much more fundamentally, it is about the world of the theater.
The “Me” of the title is Richard Samuels (Zac Efron), an aspiring actor who stumbles into Welles’ landmark production of Julius Caesar through a mixture of youthful bravado, cheek and naivety. Given a minor role, taking over from some unnamed, unseen actor who has been a victim of Welles’ erratic and vindictive temper, Richard believes himself embarked on a magnificent journey. On his way, he experiences the superficiality, the precariousness and the self-aggrandizement of the theater. He also catches a glimpse of its grandeur and its power.
Though he doesn’t know it at the time, the wave he is riding is the wave of Welles’ theatrical genius, and this is very much shot through with other aspects of Welles’ supersized personality — egomania and vindictiveness. Although clearly in love with theater, Me and Orson Welles is also very aware of the darker side of theatrical life. Rather than dwelling on this darkness, it shines a light on it, gently mocking it for its absurdity and hypocrisy, but accepting also that this is an integral part of what makes theater so important and powerful.
In its mix of biography with painstaking attention to the minutiae of theatrical life, Me and Orson Welles brings to mind Mike Leigh’s Topsy-Turvy (1999), which looked at how the tempestuous relationship between Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert generated the G&S masterpiece of The Mikado. In Me and Orson Welles, the theatrical work in question was Welles’ production of Julius Caesar set in Fascist Italy under Mussolini, a groundbreaking work that would change the face of Shakespearean performance. The film gives a wonderful feel for how touch-and-go the whole enterprise was, consciously undermining Welles’ own heroic conception of himself and his enterprise. In fact, Welles manages the production in between numerous other projects and romantic entanglements. Other people, from producers to actors, are kept waiting for the great man to appear, and when he does, the force of his personality brings them to life.
Claire Danes puts in a splendid performance as Sonja Jones, a sweet little bundle of ambition who wants to break into movies and believes that Welles will provide a longed-for introduction. There is a romantic interlude with Richard that never for a minute sidelines her real goal, and depriving the handsome male lead of the girl gives Me and Orson Welles a degree of toughness that lifts it above merely light romantic drama.
There are moments, nevertheless, when the naivety of Efron’s character infects the scriptwriting, and the film veers dangerously toward a High School Musical cuteness, but there is too much grit in the supporting cast and such a clear-eyed view that behind the magic of theater lies a strange mix of egos and nerves, that all is easily forgiven.
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