By Rachel Galvin
You say you want a revolution? Well, you know, we all want to change the world…
And in 1962, an elegant and refined businessman did just that. He took a look at some ragtag hoodlums trying to be musicians, snatched them up from the caverns where they were causing musical mischief and took them on a trip they could never expect. Those four talented upstarts were called The Beatles and the man who shaped them into the phenomenon they would become was Brian Epstein, also known by some as “the fifth Beatle.”
The movie “Midas Man,” directed by Joe Stephenson, tells the story of how Epstein went from window dressing in his father’s furniture store to becoming a manager of a band that changed music forever. It was his love of music that led him to add records to his dad’s store, which became a concept unto itself and later would lead to his career in management. Unsure of the business at first, Epstein had the confidence and insight to persevere. His instincts helped to mold the four irreverent ruffians into a more sophisticated brand for a mainstream audience.
The movie starts with the beginning of his yearning for more in his life and builds from there, showing the challenges along the way as he takes on new clients, and Liverpool lads’ wry sense of humor. The actors who play the boy band members — Jonah Lees (John), Blake Richardson (Paul), Leo Harvey-Elledge (George), 1st drummer Adam Lawrence (Paul Best) and his replacement, Ringo (Campbell Wallace) — resemble them in physicality and action quite completely. Jay Leno has a surprising role as Ed Sullivan. Although he has a similar stature, he does not look like Sullivan, but it is nice to see him in this cameo. Eddie Izzard also makes a cameo.
Jacob Fortune Lloyd, who plays Epstein, is fun to watch, a perfect lead. He narrates in addition to being within the scenes, breaking the fourth wall. They also use green screen with segmented portions of the screen to show different activities all going on at once behind him as he moves forward, to showcase the passage of time while The Beatles are on tour. This and other interesting cinematic devices make the film more engaging. The approach feels modern.
Epstein is a multilayered character, with his Jewish mother (Emily Watson) worrying about him and his strict father (Eddie Marsan) seeming to disapprove of his life choices. He also is gay, which proves very difficult for him, since, at that time, it was illegal, causing him to live in the shadows. He not only tries to hide his proclivities from the world, but his secret shame is buried under handfuls of pills, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
For those who don’t know the story, it proves quite eye-opening, and for those who do, they are sure to be engaged by the way in which it is told. Want to dive into this biopic about the Fab Four? It will be opening March 21 at Movies of Delray and Movies of Lake Worth.