Midas Man: Movie Review

Cast: Eddie Marsan, Emily Watson, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Jonah Lees
Director: Joe Stephenson

Midas Man's attempt to portray the man dubbed by Paul McCartney as the fifth Beatle proves to be alluring in this character study of Brian Epstein who burned a brief but active candle during his time in the world.

In this lively, but heavily nostalgia-led, piece Fortune-Lloyd consistently breaks the fourth wall as the titular Midas Man who took his time to shine - but seized on it successfully.

From his plans within his father's department store in Liverpool to see records from abroad to his persuading of record executives to sign the ban who will be "bigger than Elvis", Fortune-Lloyd makes Epstein an endearing underdog character whose charisma burns from the screen 

But too often in Brigit Grant and Jonathan Wakeham's screenplay, moments for character depth are passed over in favour of bursts of electric Beatle moments or nostalgia-heavy recreations of the time and place.

Epstein's more tortured moments are reduced dramatically to their more stereotyped edges and the film seems loathe to portray a multi-faceted character, darkness and all. From his struggle as a guy man to his drugs problems, Midas Man is less keen to embrace the darkness and opts for a frothing feel, albeit one that makes the biographical edges more perhaps palatable to a wider audience.

Yet the light touch and jolly japery of the Beatles and Epstein's interactions make for a frivolous edge and a desire to keep them om the periphery of the action proves to be wise beyond words lest their so-often told story overshadows proceedings.

It falls to Darci Shaw as Cilla Black to hint at more of the unhappiness in Epstein's life as relationships and family fail him. In these moments, the script exudes a tenderness that's hard to deny and Fortune-Lloyd more than stakes a claim as a worthy-lead.

But some scenes of exposition-led history feel more from a theatrical performance than a big screen production, robbing the movie of a sense of time and its place in historical chronology.

While in some parts, Midas Man feels emotionally lacking, in others, it is genial and affable and somewhat essential- it touches many parts of the Epstein story and leaves them golden.