McKay's Triumph. (Really.)

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Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles (Freestyle, 11.25) is an appealing, decently assembled, light-hearted period...drama? There's something a little sluggish-sounding about that term that doesn't quite fit the film's spirit, and "dramedy" isn't right either. I guess "coming of age story" works. MAOW only goes so deep but that's okay for the most part. It's a pat and tidy effort (i.e., nothing terribly jazzy or unruly in its veins) but with a wound-up, young man's personality. Agreeably so. The actors and actresses hit their marks, say their lines and do their utmost to be vivid or colorful.

Christian McKay, 34 or 35 during filming of Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles, which had its first showing at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival; Orson Welles at age 22 in 1937, when the film's story (about Welles' fascist Italy-flavored production of Julius Casar on Broadway) takes place.

Zac Efron isn't half bad as a young buck who lands a role in Welles' 1937 production of Julius Ceasar and experiences the usual wake-ups. He gets hired, inspired, mind-fucked, toyed with, responds like a high-school kid and ends up getting emotionally screwed over as he learns about the exhilarations of acting in a groundbreaking New York stage show as well as the deceit, insincerity, lying, game-playing and two-faced manipulations that go with the territory.

Holly Gent Palmo's screenplay, based on Robert Kaplow's book, takes place 72 friggin' years ago so it naturally feels...well, not old-fashioned but, you know, "steeped in the atmosphere of a bygone era" and all that. There's something in the mood and pace of Linklater's film that suggests it could have easily been performed on live TV for Playhouse 90 back in the '50s.

And tonally this feels right. Linklater knew what he was doing and shot it the right way with the right flavor and whatnot. He time-tripped back to the world of 1937 and made this piece come alive as best he could, and kudos for that. Even though he must have known from the get-go that Me and Orson Welles would almost certainly be a dead box-office duck.

This period parlor-drama quality is one reason why it took so long to get a theatrical deal after MAOW played at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.

It's about as far as you can get from a run-of-the-mill Eloi movie, despite the good looking (okay, cute), professionally focused and well-behaved Efron -- a female Eloi favorite for his Hairspray and High School Musical roles -- playing the lead part of Richard Samuels, who's supposed to be 17.

The problem is that in this setting/context Efron means absolutely nothing commercially. You could assemble a group of 100 squealing Eloi girls and tell them they have to watch Efron in this new Orson Welles film that starts in 45 minutes or they'll all be hunted down the next day and machine-gunned to death in their homes, and 10 or 15 of them might buy tickets. Maybe.

But Me and Orson Welles is absolutely worth seeing for Christian McKay's thunderbolt performance as the 22 year-old Welles -- a tempestuous headstrong genius in his hormonal-visionary cups. Vincent Donofrio was a fine Welles in Ed Wood (although someone else voiced the dialogue) and Liev Schreiber delivered a reasonably full-bodied Welles in RKO 281, but McKay -- 34 or 35 when the film was shot, and looking like he could be 28 or 29 -- is the madman. He's the standard-bearer and the king of the hill, the guy to beat the next time somebody plays Welles.

(I'm not counting Jeff Bridges' Crazy Heart performance, which has nothing at all to do with Welles -- zip! -- but which captures the go-for-broke dessication of Welles' Touch of Evil performance.)

I was a little bit shocked to realize earlier today that Linklater will be 50 next year. The guy who made Slacker is about to sprint through the fastest ten years of his life (when you're 50-plus a decade takes about four or five years to unfold) before he hits 60 and then 65 and then 70? God, the pace of life really has a way of sneaking up on you from time to time.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 23, 2009 at 7:20 AM

comment #1

Rich S. says ...

I'm really interested in this film, especially if they re-stage any of Julius Caesar. Welles, especially at this point in his life, fascinates me.

Posted by Rich S. at November 23, 2009 10:14 AM

comment #2

Daniel Tayag says ...

That picture of a young Welles kinda looks like Kris Tapley.

Posted by Daniel Tayag at November 23, 2009 10:39 AM

comment #3

Sabina E says ...

You could assemble a group of 100 squealing Eloi girls and tell them they have to watch Efron in this new Orson Welles film that starts in 45 minutes or they'll all be hunted down the next day and machine-gunned to death in their homes, and 10 or 15 of them might buy tickets. Maybe.

This made me laugh out loud!

Posted by Sabina E at November 23, 2009 11:00 AM

comment #4

Sabina E says ...

Orson Wells was definitely a very fascinating man, so I'm gonna see the movie. Plus, since I'm a theatre buff, so I always love movies that take place in the theatre.

but Zac Efron really doesn't say much in the trailer, it looks like his performance will be outdone by McKay's. And that's fine with me.

Posted by Sabina E at November 23, 2009 11:02 AM

comment #5

Colin says ...

Welles portrayals are always interesting. It's the only reason I watched Ed Wood.

Posted by Colin at November 23, 2009 11:56 AM

comment #6

Glenn Kenny says ...

The film slanders Welles in about a dozen different ways. Not that Wells cares.

I wish that moviemakers who set out to slag Welles were at least, you know, at least aspiring to be as GOOD as Welles. In that respect, this is a fucking ELOI movie all the way.

Posted by Glenn Kenny at November 23, 2009 12:02 PM

comment #7

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Wow, that is pretty shocking about Linklater hitting the half-century mark. I know the dude looks a lot younger than his age, and he was never really famous until he was in his 30s, but 50?? I guess after Slacker I always did sort of identify him with youth and younger characters. Perhaps that explains some of the shock.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at November 23, 2009 12:03 PM

comment #8

DeeZee says ...

"Even though he must have known from the get-go that Me and Orson Welles would almost certainly be a dead box-office duck."

Isn't that why Efron's involved? To make it profitable?

Posted by DeeZee at November 23, 2009 12:10 PM

comment #9

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Wells to Mr. Kenny: Can you take five minutes and explain how it slanders Welles? I'm not arguing with you -- just explain the ways. Did Dennis Lim miss this when he wrote his NY Times profile of the film? Or did he say this and I missed it in his piece?

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at November 23, 2009 12:17 PM

comment #10

Glenn Kenny says ...

Here goes, Jeff: Well, first off, let's contrast the real-life career of the model for Zac Efron's character with what happens to Zac Efron's character. He, Arthur Anderson, who playes Lucius in Welles' "Caeser" at age fifteen, stayed on with the Mercury Theater and had a distinguished voice-acting career. Whereas (SPOILER ALERT) Efron's character is cruelly and capriciously fired by Welles at the end of the picture. So there's THAT. It not only has him cheating on his then-wife Virginia with "Caeser" actress Murial Brassler, but has him fuck an entirely fictional character, just so we fully understand what a loathsome pussy hound he is.

There's more, but my five minutes are up. I don't know what to say about Lim's piece. Although I suppose it's just common sense to try and stay on Rick Linklater's good side.

Posted by Glenn Kenny at November 23, 2009 1:34 PM

comment #11

Glenn Kenny says ...

...and, as you see, I'm so blinded with rage I can't even type properly at this point. Apologies for the rampant typos.

Posted by Glenn Kenny at November 23, 2009 1:42 PM

comment #12

sjwhitty says ...

And, Glenn, if you really want to talk about slander, how about the way it portrays Norman Lloyd -- Cinna the poet, in the original production, and a lovely and cultured man -- as something like Larry Fine in heat? And Lloyd -- 95, bless him -- is still around, too.

Posted by sjwhitty at November 23, 2009 2:12 PM

comment #13

Jeffrey Wells says ...

I visited and interviewed Norman Lloyd at his Brentwood time around the time of In Her Shoes. Good man. Lucid, tennis player, driver of a nice Bentley, great stories...an elegant fellow all around.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at November 23, 2009 2:33 PM

comment #14

buckzollo says ...

McKay is fantastic, and the rest of cast is good. The movie is fine, but you can't help wondering who the audience is. I disagree re: any slander. Linklater does amazing job recreating exact staging and lighting as Welles used for Caesar.

Posted by buckzollo at November 23, 2009 2:52 PM

comment #15

hollyman says ...

I saw this little story with McKay I found it a bit interesting.

http://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/2009/11/18/exclusive-video-christian-mckay-geeks-out-for-orson-welles/

Posted by hollyman at November 23, 2009 3:02 PM

comment #16

Glenn Kenny says ...

Buckzollo, I don't object to the re-creation of the Mercury "Caesar" in the film; it's my favorite part. The surrounding bits I have a big problem with.

Posted by Glenn Kenny at November 23, 2009 3:20 PM

comment #17

lipranzer says ...

Glenn, whatever you thought of how the film portrayed Welles, all of what you describe is in the novel it's based on, so while it may be Linklater's fault in keeping it in the movie, he's not entirely to blame.

I found the book very predictable because of that, and I don't like Efron, so I'm not seeking this out, which pains me because I normally like Linklater.

Posted by lipranzer at November 23, 2009 5:09 PM

comment #18

Glenn Kenny says ...

Lipranzer, I actually have to give Linklater credit in that respect, because apparently the novel also portrays Welles making anti-semitic comments, which doesn't happen in the film...

Posted by Glenn Kenny at November 23, 2009 5:13 PM

comment #19