Mr. Burton

Mr. Burton quite simply is a biopic of the early life of Richard Jenkins, later to become Richard Burton as the film goes at great lengths to explain.

The cast are excellent be it Toby Jones as English teacher/thespian Philip Burton who becomes a guiding light to son of a (drunk) Welsh miner Dic Jenkins.

However the best performance is from young actor Harry Lawtey who plays the Richard Jenkins cum Burton role. From a raw poor Welsh schoolboy he becomes one of the biggest actors in the world and this film shows how Mr. Philip Burton moulded him to do so. Not just in name but Anglicizing his diction to become the great orator he is remembered for being.

Toby Jones is a mainstay of British cinema and television and his portrayal is non-scandalous when surely some tongues wagged at his close relationship with Richard Jenkins.

British, low budget but intriguing indeed. I have watched Burton's filmography vehemently over several months and now after watching this film I may explore some Burton biographies in book form. This film is definitely better than even I expected.

Mr. Burton offers a glimpse into the pivotal early life of Richard Burton (Rich Jenkins), guided by his influential teacher, Philip Burton.

While Toby Jones delivers a predictably strong performance as Philip Burton, anchoring the film with his understated gravitas, the movie itself presents a mixed bag, showcasing both its heartfelt intentions and some narrative stumbles.

The film's core strength lies in its portrayal of the mentorship between Philip Burton and young Richard Jenkins (a commendable Harry Lawtey). Their evolving dynamic is compelling, painting a vivid picture of how a working-class boy from Port Talbot was shaped into a theatrical force. Jones and Lawtey share a believable chemistry that drives the narrative forward, highlighting the profound impact one individual can have on another's destiny.

However, "Mr. Burton" isn't without its drawbacks. The pacing, while allowing for character development, can feel overly deliberate, occasionally bordering on slow. Some narrative beats follow a familiar biopic trajectory, which, while comforting, can also limit the film's sense of fresh discovery. Furthermore, while the film touches upon the complexities and whispers surrounding their close relationship, it tends to shy away from deeper exploration, leaving certain intriguing facets underexamined. In a certain way, that might have been for the better!

Ultimately, it's a sincere and well-acted tribute, but one that occasionally plays it safe, preventing it from truly soaring.

If for no other reason this film is worth watching for the performance of Toby Jones as Philip Burton. The teacher who started Richard Burton on his way to super stardom.

It is touching and moving to see the faith that the teacher had in Richard Burton that he would make good as an actor.

The whole cast is excellent particularly the two actors playing Burton as a schoolboy and then as an actor in his twenties at the beginning of his metioric rise to startdom. Burtins overindulgence in alcohol, probably inherited from his father hinting at the problems that would confront him in later life and lead to his early death.

This deserves to be seen by more than the small cinema attendance.

Don't know who he is, didn't watch him play the new joker, haven't heard anyone mentioned about him. Didn't event want to watch this movie when glancing the movie poster with Toby Jones.

But when the trailer showed up before another movie I was going to watch, oh my, the way he escalates the mountain screaming was A Master already, just this new seconds, I wanted to know who this guy is , how good he can act, what about Mr Burton.

The way to tell this biography-like is predictable, a bit boring tbh, but, watching this upcoming super star acting , from an innocent school teenage boy, to an ungrateful adopted troubled young man, to an arrogant alcoholic rising actor, it was FASCINATING, his eyes are telling story, dragging all the audiences at once !

I wish he will get more and more important roles with world class production. We can't let an actor with this astonishing talent slips away.

At the risk of sounding like a Seinfeld episode, I'm forced to say, "Not that there's anything wrong with that..." This would have been a solid 8 if it hadn't been for the forced inclusion of the implied homosexuallity current that ran throughout the second half of the film. It wasn't necessary, had no bearing on the biographical aspect of the movie, and was simply innuendo that was never addressed by either Philip nor Richard Burton.

Rumors. And they just HAD to incorporate it to be what? Socially relevlant?

It didn't ruin an otherwise excellent film, but it certainly didn't help it, either.

Just completely unnecessary.