We found Richard Linklater’s “Me & Orson Welles,” fairly unremarkable at the Toronto Int. Film Festival. Maybe this scene is why.
In the period drama, teen heartthrob, Zac Efron plays Richard Samuels, a teen inadvertently drafted to appear in a small role in Orson Welles’ stage production of Julius Caesar. He then becomes attracted to Welles’ (Christian Mckay) career-driven production assistant (Claire Danes), but the story doesn’t offer anything deeper than that (it’s not really about fate or failure). All the acting in the film is decent, McKay nails Welles baritone and arrogant flair and Efron is surprisingly decent, but the film has no real meat or story engine to keep ones sustained interest. In this scene, Efron first meets Welles and is soon roped into appearing in the film. Maybe it will at least appeal to Efron fans.
