Midas Man

The story of Brian Epstein is a fascinating story, and I'm afraid this film disappoints. The breaking of the fourth wall works in some films, but not this one. I didn't mind Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Brian, but Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan was a terrible choice. I thought the actors playing The Beatles were OK , except John Lennon was way too short. It was off putting.

I think most people who will watch this film would be aware of The Beatles, so their story didn't have to be told. It was Brian Epsein's story, and I don't believe his story was told. I have been waiting years for someone to make decent biopic about Brian Epstein, and I guess I'll have to keep waiting.

I was apprehensive about this film as a huge Beatles fan & I personally know people who worked with Brian Epstein.

But I thought the performance by Jacob was excellent. He captured every little nuance of Brian's character.

Eddie was great as Brian's dad Harry.

Emily as Malka was a bit weaker.

The film was also well written & it captured Brians life well.

Though I think his death & body discovery could have been played out on screen, it would have been more personal.

The costumes were perfect and captured Brian's fastidious fashion sense.

Only disappointment was John Lennon was way too short.

As a lifelong Beatles fan, I had to watch this film. To be honest, I was already familiar with most of the narrative but could not resist an in depth view of the passion and pain behind the driving force!

And it started well. The relation between Epstein and his 'boys' was well acted and drew me in. This was largely down to an excellent performance from Jacob Fortune-Lloyd. He manages to combine passion, eccentricity and brilliance - particularly in the first half hour.

But for me it then lost its way and became a bit rushed. There isn't really enough space to explore the contradictions that led to Brian's tragic demise. The absence of any Beatles compositions was a huge problem. The memorable intro to Twist and Shout at the Royal Variety Show needs erm Twist and Shout. The same goes for the final scenes with the broadcast of All You Need is Love which did not include the song itself.

It all fell short of its opening promise. I have to mention a special performance from Darci Shaw as Cilla Black. Her touching moment with Brian is the standout moment.

This wasn't exactly the film of the year for me, but it's a biopic that's good enough. The actors who played Brian and The Beatles are both charismatic and charming. I enjoyed the breaking of the fourth wall. But one criticism I have that is there could have been more focus on the Beatles themselves. Also, I understand there are copyright issues but I wish they used Beatles songs for the film. I would recommend this film to Beatles fans. There are better music biopics such as Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, but this is a solid, well crafted film. Don't expect to be blown away by the film but it's an enjoyable watch.

Really enjoyed this telling of Brian Epstein's life and his pivotal role in The Beatles becoming huge.

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd is an engaging Brian. His belief in the boys and need for the world to see them really comes across.

Aside from learning about Epstein's influence, the film does a great job of showing his struggle between public image and private self without being too 'sensational' which can be annoying with biopics.

Some might see that as playing it a bit safe but I thought it struck a nice balance.

The film is stylish, the casting of The Beatles works well (Lennon is short though!) and the fourth wall breaking moments are fun.

Shame there wasn't any really recognisable songs, probably hard to get, but the early Beatles songs they used fit well.