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ME AND ORSON WELLESMovie Reviews
Drama about a keen teenage actor who stumbles into the proceedings at Orson Welles' Mercury Theater as preparations are being made for their 1937 production of "Julius Caesar.". Cast:Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay, Zoe Kazan, James TupperDirector:Richard LinklaterRelease Date:November 25, 2009DVD Release:August 17, 2010From:FreestyleRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 54 min
Me and Orson Welles played in key cities to very good reviews. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "...one of the best movies about the theater I've ever seen... not only entertaining but an invaluable companion to the life and career of the Great Man." • And David Denby wrote in the New Yorker, "...a movie of great spirit and considerable charm.... Quippy, fast, and enjoyably corny..." More Reviews Below...
Me and Orson Welles Positive Reviews (35 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: VERY GOOD "Welles is brilliantly embodied by Christian McKay in one of those, hey-who's-that? performances... the film itself isn't much more than an extremely pleasant lark."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 889 words, 11/27/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "Except for Christian McKay, the film has so little fire that Welles himself would have wondered out loud what he was doing stuck in the middle of it."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 11/27/09
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Christian McKay, a previously unknown British theater actor, has Welles down pat: the ever-shifting eyebrows, the sonorous, arch baritone, the 'old man.' "(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 11/25/09
Bradley Jacobs, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...makes for a pleasant diversion. Alas, Zac Efron comes off as an amateur next to Christian McKay's spectacular portrayal of the brilliant director."(See all of Bradley Jacobs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 98 words, 11/26/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...much more than an exercise in nostalgia... Art is a fairy tale we choose to believe in, and this movie, a fiction confected about real people, is too good not to be true."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 876 words, 11/25/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Surprisingly conventional by director Richard Linklater's standards... pleasant, low-key dramedy is most memorable for the discovery of co-star Christian McKay."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 346 words, 11/25/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the best movies about the theater I've ever seen... not only entertaining but an invaluable companion to the life and career of the Great Man."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 868 words, 12/10/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...mostly filmed on London soundstages and an old theater on Britain's Isle of Man... one of the best pictures about the stage in recent memory."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 11/25/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A real charmer... the work of a director who takes nostalgia, romantic possibility and the theater seriously, without being a pill about it."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 12/11/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "The very name Orson Welles stands for genius wasted and betrayed, and the movie offers some foreshadowing of his triumphs and failures to come."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 12/11/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...forgettable... coasts on borrowed charm and doesn't really do anything with the vast potential of Welles's legendary career.... a trifle."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 12/10/09
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...in love with the magic, the risk and the drama (both on stage and off) that go into putting on a show. It's 'Glee' for the literary set."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 12/11/09
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Christian McKay, as Orson Welles, gives what I believe is the most exact and uncanny screen portrayal of a historical figure, ever."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 560 words, 12/11/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "McKay doesn't just play Welles. He plays Welles playing Brutus in Welles' legendary 1937 staging of 'Julius Caesar' for his Mercury Theatre. And he is magnificent..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 12/11/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...succeeds in bringing the flamboyant Welles to life, without resorting to caricature... This is due in no small part to Christian McKay..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 12/11/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "What we get is a few good blocks and the beautiful charlatans who worked there, and that's more than enough for some of us."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 747 words, 12/11/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...enjoyable if light... it's like a Woody Allen period film (you keep thinking 'Bullets over Broadway' is taking place around the corner) with a real-life twist."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 433 words, 12/11/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Richard Linklater has a great, collaborative touch with actors, and an excellent eye for what makes movies compelling.... fabulously fun..."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 339 words, 12/18/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "Linklater and a brilliant cast accomplish the rare coup of creating a thoroughly credible and deeply entertaining biopic about a titanically famous film personality."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 272 words, 12/11/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING(cg) "For serious cinema buffs... gives us a peek at what working for a true giant of the arts must have been like - thrilling, exasperating and -- above all - fun."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 12/18/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...proves Zac Efron can act, introduces a master thespian in Christian McKay and launches a charm assault that is damn near irresistible..."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 319 words, 11/13/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...emerges from a workmanlike backstage drama and an engaging coming-of-age story into an exhilarating and ambivalent celebration of genius."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 12/10/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...forgettable... coasts on borrowed charm and doesn't really do anything with the vast potential of Welles's legendary career.... a trifle."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 12/10/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...much more than an exercise in nostalgia... Art is a fairy tale we choose to believe in, and this movie, a fiction confected about real people, is too good not to be true."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 876 words, 11/25/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "Mr. Efron's fix on the period suggests a GPS struggling in a low-signal area... the movie becomes an affectionate, name-dropping exercise in historical mutilation."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 11/27/09
David Denby, New Yorker: VERY GOOD "...a movie of great spirit and considerable charm.... Quippy, fast, and enjoyably corny... like a musical comedy without songs."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,031 words, 11/23/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "An extraordinary impersonation of the American theatrical boy wonder by the young English actor Christian McKay is the indisputable highlight..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,034 words, 09/09/08
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...much more than an exercise in nostalgia... Art is a fairy tale we choose to believe in, and this movie, a fiction confected about real people, is too good not to be true."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 876 words, 11/25/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "Mr. Efron's fix on the period suggests a GPS struggling in a low-signal area... the movie becomes an affectionate, name-dropping exercise in historical mutilation."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 11/27/09
15.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Me and Orson Welles's reviews are separated by an average 15.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Me and Orson Welles (35 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Me and Orson Welles's reviews cover 68.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,120 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 518 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Me and Orson Welles Coverage, Volume & Length (35 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 57.6 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Me and Orson Welles's reviews on average broke 57.6 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Me and Orson Welles's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Me and Orson Welles (35 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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