Me and Orson Welles (Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay, Ben Chaplin) – This art-house film, based on a novel profiling the egotistical, yet brilliant, Orson Welles, is a gem of a “small movie.” Starring heartthrob Zac Efron (High School Musical, Hairspray) as Richard, a 17-year-old high school student and would-be actor who lands a part in Welles’ new Broadway production of Julius Caesar in his and John Houseman’s new Mercury Theater. Unheralded British actor, Christian McKay, not only bears a striking resemblance to a young Welles, but he also provides a strikingly exceptional performance. Claire Danes, now 30 years old, is also excellent as Welles’ assistant, Sonja. She is a theater executive wannabe trying to use Welles’ connections to get an interview (or date) with David O. Selznick. Coveted by all the men in the film, she is a subtle tease, a free spirit, and a woman who knows (and usually gets) what she wants. She seduces Richard while sleeping with Welles and is likely to do the same if she gets her audience with Selznick. She shouldn’t be likable but she is. The movie is about the staging of Caesar, featuring all of Welles idiosyncrasies. We meet young Joseph Cotton (James Tupper) and a cast of other dedicated and quirky actors who cower to Welles and agonize over his lack of rehearsals and his constant changes to the scenes, the script, the music, and the blocking. I really enjoyed this film that isn’t a biography but nonetheless gives us a glimpse into the world of Orson Welles as seen through the eyes of young Richard.