Dazed and confused with a backstage pass
Christian McKay channeling a young Orson Welles. (CinemaNX Films One Ltd.)
Me and Orson Welles
Running time: 113 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 (sexual references, smoking)
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When I first saw Richard Linklater's blustery, entertaining "Me and Orson Welles" at the Toronto Film Festival in Sept. 2008, I emerged with two thoughts.
A: I wonder how many people realize just how daring and inventive Linklater, a Houston native based in Austin, really is as a filmmaker?
And B: If there's a God in cinematic heaven, this little gem of a show biz period piece will find a distributor.
It took a while, but Linklater's "Let's put on a show!" recreation of the founding days of New York City's fledgling, but innovative Mercury Theater in 1937 finally springs to life for anyone willing to pay the price of admission.
I generally don't like to encourage money spending in this tight economy. But if you're curious about what was going on in the mind of 22-year-old Orson Welles, or you're a Linklater ("The School of Rock," "Dazed and Confused") fan, or you love backstage comic-dramas, "Me and Orson Welles" is a must-see.
And here's another revelation. It turns out that Zac Efron, that singing/dancing phenom of "High School Musical" fame and "17 Again" shame (not his fault) can really act.
Efron plays inquisitive 17-year-old Richard Samuels, a kid who can strum a ukulele a little. Richard gawks his way down Broadway and stops at 41st to see what all the commotion is about.
Welles, portrayed magnificently as a youthful genius-in-the-making by British theater actor Christian McKay, is blustering about; shouting orders, firing people (then hiring them back) and working with his partner, John Houseman (Eddie Marsan), to shake up the New York theater.
Welles' vision of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" is billed as "Caesar: Death of a Dictator" and will feature Roman senators in Fascist military uniforms.
The best thing about "Me and Orson Welles" is how completely Linklater's production sweeps the audience into the fast-paced backstage and out-front theatrical melodrama. You'll feel like you can almost smell late 1930s New York, even though this ensemble piece was shot on the Isle of Man and in and around London, including Pinewood Studios.
If there's a drawback, it's that Linklater tries to do too much with the story. Subplots abound in this blaze of ensemble action with a coming-of-age focus. Richard, wide-eyed and innocent, falls hard for Welles' assistant, Sonja Jones, played convincingly by Claire Danes.
Sonja's an "older woman" in this scenario. The kid doesn't just learn how explosive the mind of a creative genius can be. He's also blindsided with the fact that a woman -- especially one with stars in her eyes -- doesn't always follow her heart in matters of love.
It's a shame we don't see more of McKay as Welles, though. The concert pianist-turned-actor resisted cashing in on his resemblance (uncanny, I think) to a young Welles early in his acting career. Thank goodness he came to his senses.
McKay, the axle everything turns on here, was in New York performing "Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles" when Linklater was made aware of his dead-on reincarnation of one of the most powerful spirits in film and theater history.
A: I wonder how many people realize just how daring and inventive Linklater, a Houston native based in Austin, really is as a filmmaker?
And B: If there's a God in cinematic heaven, this little gem of a show biz period piece will find a distributor.
It took a while, but Linklater's "Let's put on a show!" recreation of the founding days of New York City's fledgling, but innovative Mercury Theater in 1937 finally springs to life for anyone willing to pay the price of admission.
I generally don't like to encourage money spending in this tight economy. But if you're curious about what was going on in the mind of 22-year-old Orson Welles, or you're a Linklater ("The School of Rock," "Dazed and Confused") fan, or you love backstage comic-dramas, "Me and Orson Welles" is a must-see.
And here's another revelation. It turns out that Zac Efron, that singing/dancing phenom of "High School Musical" fame and "17 Again" shame (not his fault) can really act.
Efron plays inquisitive 17-year-old Richard Samuels, a kid who can strum a ukulele a little. Richard gawks his way down Broadway and stops at 41st to see what all the commotion is about.
Welles, portrayed magnificently as a youthful genius-in-the-making by British theater actor Christian McKay, is blustering about; shouting orders, firing people (then hiring them back) and working with his partner, John Houseman (Eddie Marsan), to shake up the New York theater.
Welles' vision of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" is billed as "Caesar: Death of a Dictator" and will feature Roman senators in Fascist military uniforms.
The best thing about "Me and Orson Welles" is how completely Linklater's production sweeps the audience into the fast-paced backstage and out-front theatrical melodrama. You'll feel like you can almost smell late 1930s New York, even though this ensemble piece was shot on the Isle of Man and in and around London, including Pinewood Studios.
If there's a drawback, it's that Linklater tries to do too much with the story. Subplots abound in this blaze of ensemble action with a coming-of-age focus. Richard, wide-eyed and innocent, falls hard for Welles' assistant, Sonja Jones, played convincingly by Claire Danes.
Sonja's an "older woman" in this scenario. The kid doesn't just learn how explosive the mind of a creative genius can be. He's also blindsided with the fact that a woman -- especially one with stars in her eyes -- doesn't always follow her heart in matters of love.
It's a shame we don't see more of McKay as Welles, though. The concert pianist-turned-actor resisted cashing in on his resemblance (uncanny, I think) to a young Welles early in his acting career. Thank goodness he came to his senses.
McKay, the axle everything turns on here, was in New York performing "Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles" when Linklater was made aware of his dead-on reincarnation of one of the most powerful spirits in film and theater history.
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