Orson Welles is an icon of the 20th century. A man who was world famous while still in his twenties, he crafted some of the most important films ever presented. His first work, Citizen Kane, is considered by AFI to be the best film of all time. While I think that Casablanca owns that little title, I will grant Welles all the genius that was his camera placement and storytelling flairs. He changed the way that film stories were made. But before that, his Mercury Theater commanded the radio, giving America deeply moving cultural moments. Welles ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast was so perfect that it caused a mass hysteria. But before that, the Mercury Theater was a actual theater company, performing plays in their own space. It is there that we meet with Me and Orson Welles.
The film opens in 1937. Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) is a kid who dreams of a career on the boards of the theater. He takes off for the city and meets a lovely young girl Gretta (Zoe Kazan) who is struggling to become a writer. This chance encounter morphs into a walk in front of a theater, the Mercury Theater. He happens on Orson Welles (Christian McKay), who is in the process of firing a minor actor in his vision of Shakespeare’s work Julius Caesar. Orson asks Richard is he can play a ukulele. Richard lies and says that he can.
Thus, Richard is thrown into the manic world of the theater. He soon discovers that making art is a clash of personalities with every person caught in the fray. Richard meets production assistant Sonja (Claire Danes) who shows this naive waif the ropes that is a professional performance. We also get a big helping of Orson, a man with a pregnant wife, a mistress and several other women on the side. Orson sees no problem with using an ambulance to get around the city, siren blaring. In one scene, he does a radio play with no rehearsal and improvises a scene live, a scene that he rehearsed just minutes before. He is a magician, and Richard gets to see some of the secrets of Orson’s work.
Richard and Sonja immediately click and begin to date. The young Richard doesn’t seem to realize that Sonja is the kind of determined woman who will use any means necessary to achieve her goals, no matter who it hurts. She wants to use Orson as a stepping stone to meeting David O. Selznick, who is planning his newest venture, Gone With the Wind.
We get a hands-on look on how a production goes from general thoughts to active crafted work. Richard finds that the journey to opening night is befouled with both temperamental actors and angered craftsman. Parts are riotously funny and other parts are pain-painstakingly hurtful. Along the way, Richard discovers both his passions and his anchors in the crazed business that is show.
Christian McKay becomes Orson Welles in this movie. He is all pomp and brute while being charming and brilliant in the mix. The audience is drawn into a man who is part genius and part superstitious kid, waiting for the ‘bad thing’ to happen. There should be a Oscar nomination in this performance so full of bullish wit and grace. His Orson is lean and barbarous, wanting to create ‘the best art we can’ and telling every actor just what they need to hear in order to make his vision a perfection.
This is another step for Zac Efron to break away from his teen idol status. While it is so hard for young actors to break away from their past roles, Zac shows that he can act right along with the more lauded . His character learns the hard lessons of theater which transcend into hard life lesson. Never does one question his acting or commitment to the role, both on and off the stage
Claire Danes comes across as somewhere between driven and sincere in her reading of Sonja. She sees nothing wrong with a ‘week of love’ a fleeting affair as long as it is just casual and doesn’t get in the way of her career. Her Sonja is not a mean person, just a determined one.
The find of Me and Orson Welles is young Zoe Kazan as Gretta. She is a representation of the purity of art, the person who wants to tell a tale, not for fame or glory, but to get a reaction on the human condition. Though not a striking beauty, she is an attainable one with a pure soul outweighing any exterior flaw.
This era is both my favorite cinematic time and historical time. It is rich in both culture and context, making a rich palette for storytelling The costumes and sets just feel right to the point that you never question that this film wasn’t made in 1937. Director Richard Linklater takes us a note perfect journey to both the theater and the nature of ego in creating genius. The only truly sad part of Me and Orson Welles was that it ended.
