Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Smart Again
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Politics
  • Law & Defense
  • Community
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Smart Again
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Politics
  • Law & Defense
  • Community
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Smart Again
No Result
View All Result
Home Community

“Midas Man” fumbles the legacy of Beatles manager Brian Epstein

January 23, 2025
in Community
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
0
“Midas Man” fumbles the legacy of Beatles manager Brian Epstein
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Directed by Joe Stephenson, “Midas Man” is a curiosity. As subjects for biopics go, Beatles manager Brian Epstein is long overdue. Unfortunately, “Midas Man” feels like a missed opportunity to get at the heart of this tragic figure, the visionary architect of Beatlemania.

In terms of texture, “Midas Man” has the look and feel of a made-for-television movie, particularly given the way that the film glosses over much of Epstein’s story and wholesale omits some aspects altogether. 

“Midas Man” features Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (“The Queen’s Gambit”) in the title role. As Variety recently reported, the film’s production was notoriously fraught with a host of ancillary issues, yet Fortune-Lloyd gamely infuses Epstein’s character with welcome senses of daring and vulnerability. Sadly, any hope of authenticity largely begins and ends with his performance. 

As a biographical figure, Epstein’s short life was plagued with tension and drama. At times, “Midas Man” seems to approach these moments with an odd sense of blankness. During Epstein’s lifetime, homosexuality was criminalized in Great Britain, forcing him to live a closeted lifestyle. To its credit, “Midas Man” doesn’t shy away from this aspect of his persona. But even still, the film fails to take full advantage of the everyday tensions that pocked his existence. And when it comes to his long-rumored dalliance with John Lennon (Jonah Lees) during a Spanish vacation, “Midas Man” is entirely mute, eliding the situation altogether.

Indeed, Epstein’s relationship with the Beatles—the most significant facet of his professional achievement—is reduced to a series of wisecracks from the bandmates. Other than Epstein’s overarching belief in their talent when others ignored them, the film never truly leans into the nature of his association with those four lads from Liverpool. In terms of secondary characters, Charley Palmer Rothwell positively shines as George Martin. By contrast, Jay Leno seems miscast as Ed Sullivan, strangely rendering the legendary showman into a gangster persona.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Perhaps most significantly, “Midas Man” serves as a cautionary tale of sorts about the urgent need for facticity in contemporary cinema. Today’s viewers simply expect more when it comes to films that address historical figures. Decades ago, movie audiences were eminently more forgiving when it came to filmmakers’ claims about needing to reshape history to accommodate the silver screen.

Love the Beatles? Listen to Ken’s podcast “Everything Fab Four.”

Take “The Buddy Holly Story” (1978), for instance, in which Gary Busey portrayed the legendary singer-songwriter from Lubbock, Texas. In those pre-Internet times, we were simply happy to have a movie about Holly, no matter how many liberties the filmmakers took with his life story. But those days are gone. And this is where “Midas Man” fails the test: it simply doesn’t feel like a genuine telling of Epstein and the Beatles’ incredible story. If anything, it comes off like Beatles-lite. In short, our expectations in terms of authenticity reign supreme, and folks like Sam Mendes, who is preparing to tell the Beatles’ story across four films, would do well to heed this warning.

Read more

about this topic



Source link

Tags: BeatlesBrianEpsteinfumbleslegacyManmanagerMidas
Previous Post

Meet the insurrectionist rejecting Trump’s pardon

Next Post

Franklin Graham Accuses Bishop Who Criticized Trump Of Having ‘Sexual Political Agenda’

Related Posts

Margo Price is in her villain era
Community

Margo Price is in her villain era

September 2, 2025
“Skibidi” doesn’t belong in the dictionary
Community

“Skibidi” doesn’t belong in the dictionary

September 1, 2025
Stephen King demanded “The Long Walk” show kids getting shot
Community

Stephen King demanded “The Long Walk” show kids getting shot

August 31, 2025
The boy genius with a foot on our necks
Community

The boy genius with a foot on our necks

August 31, 2025
Darren Aronofsky finally lets himself have fun
Community

Darren Aronofsky finally lets himself have fun

August 29, 2025
Parents, don’t make your kid’s dorm room about you
Community

Parents, don’t make your kid’s dorm room about you

August 28, 2025
Next Post
Franklin Graham Accuses Bishop Who Criticized Trump Of Having ‘Sexual Political Agenda’

Franklin Graham Accuses Bishop Who Criticized Trump Of Having 'Sexual Political Agenda'

Trump Revokes Security Detail for Pompeo and Others, Despite Threats From Iran

Trump Revokes Security Detail for Pompeo and Others, Despite Threats From Iran

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
White Nationalist Struggles With Whether Cubans Can Be American

White Nationalist Struggles With Whether Cubans Can Be American

July 29, 2025
Clyburn blasts GOP proposal to oust him from Congress

Clyburn blasts GOP proposal to oust him from Congress

August 7, 2025
Israel’s Gaza policy is viciously cruel — and strategically disastrous

Israel’s Gaza policy is viciously cruel — and strategically disastrous

August 7, 2025
Democrats accuse GOP of “weaponizing” FBI against Texas lawmakers

Democrats accuse GOP of “weaponizing” FBI against Texas lawmakers

August 7, 2025
Trump’s drops IVF promise, preferring to blame women for infertility

Trump’s drops IVF promise, preferring to blame women for infertility

August 8, 2025
“Chasing relevance”: Maron sounds off on “desperate” Maher

“Chasing relevance”: Maron sounds off on “desperate” Maher

August 25, 2025
“They stole an election”: Former Florida senator found guilty in “ghost candidates” scandal

“They stole an election”: Former Florida senator found guilty in “ghost candidates” scandal

0
The Hawaii senator who faced down racism and ableism—and killed Nazis

The Hawaii senator who faced down racism and ableism—and killed Nazis

0
The murder rate fell at the fastest-ever pace last year—and it’s still falling

The murder rate fell at the fastest-ever pace last year—and it’s still falling

0
Trump used the site of the first assassination attempt to spew falsehoods

Trump used the site of the first assassination attempt to spew falsehoods

0
MAGA church plans to raffle a Trump AR-15 at Second Amendment rally

MAGA church plans to raffle a Trump AR-15 at Second Amendment rally

0
Tens of thousands are dying on the disability wait list

Tens of thousands are dying on the disability wait list

0
Why China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are more than just Axis of Evil 2.0

Why China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are more than just Axis of Evil 2.0

September 2, 2025
White House Plans ‘Big Announcement’ To Show Trump’s Not Dead Yet

White House Plans ‘Big Announcement’ To Show Trump’s Not Dead Yet

September 2, 2025
Judge: Trump Broke The Law By Deploying Troops To Los Angeles

Judge: Trump Broke The Law By Deploying Troops To Los Angeles

September 2, 2025
Margo Price is in her villain era

Margo Price is in her villain era

September 2, 2025
Sheriff faces “difficult” investigation after man found dead in pool of blood at Burning Man

Sheriff faces “difficult” investigation after man found dead in pool of blood at Burning Man

September 2, 2025
The search for Earth’s most mysterious creatures is turning up extraordinary results

The search for Earth’s most mysterious creatures is turning up extraordinary results

September 2, 2025
Smart Again

Stay informed with Smart Again, the go-to news source for liberal perspectives and in-depth analysis on politics, social justice, and more. Join us in making news smart again.

CATEGORIES

  • Community
  • Law & Defense
  • Politics
  • Trending
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

LATEST UPDATES

  • Why China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are more than just Axis of Evil 2.0
  • White House Plans ‘Big Announcement’ To Show Trump’s Not Dead Yet
  • Judge: Trump Broke The Law By Deploying Troops To Los Angeles
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Smart Again.
Smart Again is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Politics
  • Law & Defense
  • Community
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Smart Again.
Smart Again is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Go to mobile version