Friday night after dinner at the Thai cafe with Ian and George, George and I went off to the local art theater to Me and Orson Wells.  This was another terrific little film.  The story is slight, but if you’ve done theater and written it will really touch a chord.  And I thought the actor, Christian McKay, playing Wells turned in a great performance.  He didn’t quite have that magnificent voice, but the ego, the genius and the manic energy were spot on.  He also managed to make an insecure, cowardly and self-absorbed man fascinating and show you why people took it because Wells really was a genius.

Zac Efron was charming as the young man who bullshits his way into Well’s revolutionary production of Caesar.   There was also a courageous choice by the director to show us large (for a movie) chunks of the Shakespearian play.   

Nothing about the direction or design really stood out for me.  It was good, but it neither wowed me or detracted from the experience.  They did a nice job of evoking New York in 1937, but it was the script that won me.  It was quick, flexible and smart, and the performances equally so.   If you know theater people in particular and artists in general you will find this movie very funny.

They also made some very good musical choices.  Another thumbs up.  Tomorrow I’ll write up my thoughts on the two animated films I’ve seen The Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Frog Princess.  Both very different styles, but equally effective.