I really enjoyed Richard Linklater's new film "Me and Orson Welles" and It's hardly surprising. From a guy that made Waking Life, Dazed and Confused and the Before Sunrise/sunset combo the challenge of making Zak Effron likable to me hardly seemed a challenge at all.
The scene where Richard and Gretta are discussing her short story was prectically identical to Linklater's scene in Waking Life where his character describes a novel where nothing happens, just real people have real experiences.
With regards to the film itself, Christian McKay is phenomenal in his portrayal of the arrogant and brilliant actor/director. Zak Effron's character has no struggle at all, he walks into a job and dazzles with minimal effort. There is no major arc for his character, he is as deeply rooted in ego as Welles but with less effort. His youth actually personifies his lack of character to the point where his talent becomes a disadvantage, You think he is there as a nice guy to compare the arrogance of Welles, in fact, it could be argued that Richard is there to remind us that nothing in life should be handed to us so easily, well certainly not if we expect it to taste as sweet as it possibly could. In many ways, Effron is perfectly suited for this role. It's a shame his character wasn't given a chance to show real frustration or anger at being misunderstood. He seems perfectly at ease with people accepting him as someone almost on a karmic pay out! Welles however, commands respect through the use of a reputation created and cultivated. Both these characters are at war with themselves and at war with each other.
Experience and genius vs youth and talent.... It's an explosive match up.
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