I wish this 2009 indie focused far more on the most charismatic person in the cast. Foreboding with a glaring certainty and a penchant for spewing venom at anyone he deems unworthy of his attention, Christian McKay makes the young Orson Welles come alive as the intimidating megalomaniac he had to have been to create a masterpiece like "Citizen Kane". In 1937, he was only 22 when he mounted a contemporary version of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" with his legendary troupe, the Mercury Theater, which showcased his prodigious theatrical genius, and his idiosyncratic blend of swagger and insight transcended the backstage chaos that would yield a stage triumph. Welles was the type of man who would shower his cast with hyperbolic praise and then just as suddenly, crush them with harsh criticism.
However, director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused"), definitely not a specialist in period pieces, chooses to focus on the fictional character of 17-year-old Richard Samuels to carry the plot as he witnesses Welles' genius firsthand as a protégé-turned-actor. Filmmaker Cameron Crowe tried the same perspective shift in 2000's "Almost Famous", but the device doesn't work as well this time. It's not that teen heartthrob Zac Efron is bad in the role. In fact, he brings an enthusiastic sincerity to his comparatively shallow role, but the dominance of McKay's towering performance provides an imbalance that is difficult to ignore. Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo's screenplay focuses on Richard's brush with greatness during the process of making art, and cineastes will enjoy the likes of Joseph Cotten, John Houseman and George Colouris portrayed with relish and surprising accuracy by James Tupper, Eddie Marsan and Ben Chaplin, respectively.
Of course, there are women to complicate matters among the troupe, and Mercury production manager Sonja Jones is both a beguiling and ambitious presence that endlessly fascinates the actors swirling around her. Needless to say, Richard is smitten, but she has plans of her own to consider. Claire Danes gives a smart, incisive performance as Sonja, giving her more depth than one would expect from the story. Zoe Kazan bookends the movie as an aspiring writer who believes she has found a kindred artistic spirit in Richard. Laurence Dorman's production design and Dick Pope's cinematography deserve mention as the combination evokes the film's period setting with conviction. But this is McKay's movie all the way and well worth seeing for his astonishing turn.
However, director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused"), definitely not a specialist in period pieces, chooses to focus on the fictional character of 17-year-old Richard Samuels to carry the plot as he witnesses Welles' genius firsthand as a protégé-turned-actor. Filmmaker Cameron Crowe tried the same perspective shift in 2000's "Almost Famous", but the device doesn't work as well this time. It's not that teen heartthrob Zac Efron is bad in the role. In fact, he brings an enthusiastic sincerity to his comparatively shallow role, but the dominance of McKay's towering performance provides an imbalance that is difficult to ignore. Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo's screenplay focuses on Richard's brush with greatness during the process of making art, and cineastes will enjoy the likes of Joseph Cotten, John Houseman and George Colouris portrayed with relish and surprising accuracy by James Tupper, Eddie Marsan and Ben Chaplin, respectively.
Of course, there are women to complicate matters among the troupe, and Mercury production manager Sonja Jones is both a beguiling and ambitious presence that endlessly fascinates the actors swirling around her. Needless to say, Richard is smitten, but she has plans of her own to consider. Claire Danes gives a smart, incisive performance as Sonja, giving her more depth than one would expect from the story. Zoe Kazan bookends the movie as an aspiring writer who believes she has found a kindred artistic spirit in Richard. Laurence Dorman's production design and Dick Pope's cinematography deserve mention as the combination evokes the film's period setting with conviction. But this is McKay's movie all the way and well worth seeing for his astonishing turn.