Richard Linklater directed this film. This is not much like "Dazed and Confused" or even "Before Sunrise/Before Sunset" at all really. This was a retro period-piece. The best thing(s) about it was the much billed work of unknown British actor Christian McKay as Welles. He was arrogant, pompous, posh, egotistical, a womanizer, and very much how Orson Welles was above the theater/law/everyone in the room or even everyone he worked with. He was kind of a pig and someone who demanded a certain kind of ethic. For that, at least if that is what the book it was adapted from was about; and the off broad-way rendition of Julius Caesar that was done at the time, in the late 1930's, well they and McKay really pulled it off pretty well.
Unfortunately, everything else about this film wasn't all that moving or extremely mind-blowing. The Story was rather dull in many ways. Some of the other cast did decent jobs; even Zac Effron failed to go into Leonardo DiCraprio territory mostly.
Claire Danes and some other cast I recognized Eddie Marsan as John Houseman (Scott the anal driving-instructor from "Happy Go-Lucky") and James Tupper as Joseph (Jack from "Men In Trees") namely. I wish they would have done more with Zoe Kazan, who played Greta. She was cute enough and was an obvious romantic-plot that was unexplored.
Another shortcoming of this movie was how I'd have enjoyed more about Welles other experiences. It wasn't a bio-pic, but from my somewhat limited experience with him, I'd have enjoyed more content on his radio work and how he became such a huge icon of sorts at that time. Heck, even some references or footage of him connecting with some of the other classic actors of his day. Bogart, Spencer Tracy etc.
Overall, it was a bit like "Happy Go-Lucky" last year. Great individual performance by McKay, but the rest of the movie didn't offer a lot more.
But for McKay's performance alone, I still would endorse seeing this eventually.
70/100
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