Midas Man (2024)

Midas Man Review

Epstein has been the subject of much writing about the Beatles, but he occupies a mysterious position in their history often described as being like what it was to be their manager when they went on Beatlemania. Epstein lived in a time when homosexuality was frowned upon and scandalized, also his inclination towards gambling and dependence on alcohol as well as drugs to deal with stress were issues that ignited public debate surrounding his personal life. A former record store owner makes for an interesting film.

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd stars as Epstein, portraying a prim young man who is well looked after by Midas Man. This movie covers Epstein’s whole career starting from converting his family shop into a successful music store till the Beatles’ triumph at America and world tours. Some big moments in the Beatles’ story are recreated, such as replacing Pete Best with Ringo Starr, their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; they had fans going wild both at Philadelphia and in Manila, but would later take part in Our World just months before Epstein passed away. Some of these recreations fare better than others; sometimes the production design looks like a set on a sound stage while others like press conferences and photo shoots serve up nostalgia.

Midas Man differs from most biopics which have to squeeze several decades of history into just two hours because it doesn’t need so many years due to the fact that Epstein died quite early in life, even though those few years might easily count for several lifetimes. In this regard, the film moves very fast primarily using breaking-the-fourth-wall exposition and images of mentioned events to speed up its plot line. This trope can feel cheesy at times but in Midas Man it works nicely because it brings out the everyday aspect of something supernatural happening around Epstein.

However, some audiences think that its fast pacing does not allow for an extensive character study of Epstein. However despite having a short run-time we still get to know many things about Epstein due in large part to a great performance from Fortune-Lloyd. Although Beatles fans may dispute some of the details included and left out in the film, one of Midas Man’s most engaging aspects is how Epstein constantly played with them making me want to keep watching it all over again.

Most of the performances across the board are pretty much enticing Emily Watson as Epstein’s mother, Malka, and Darci Shaw as Cilla Black, another of Epstein’s clients, are particularly admirable. These actresses play out strong women with whom Epstein felt secure doing it showing how human he was during many known historical moments. Talking about the historic moments, it is strange to have Jay Leno representing Ed Sullivan at his best or worst. However, whereas there seems to be an obvious parallel between them due to their jobs as TV hosts; yet it is not poetic but rather distracting if anything.

Midas Man does touch on some of the vices in Epstein’s life such as gambling and substance abuse but like 99.9% of biopics, these vices are no more than mere mentions rather than central plot points. Instead, what we get from this film is a man who hit the accelerator from the moment he met The Beatles and never lifted his foot off till he ultimately gave in to pressure and stress. This was a man who helped change music forever.

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