An absolute waste of money

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I urge all Beatles' lovers who enjoyed Freda Kelly's story to try and see "Arena: produced by George Martin";it completes this one which features a very interesting portrayal of Brian Epstein Freda Kelly referred to as "Eppie".It's a wonderful magical mystery tour through the past,as Freda opens her archives in her attic (she gave away most of her items to fans in the first half of the seventies when the fan club closed down .considering the large amount of letters (which grew exponentially over the years ) and other stuff she could have sold,she could be a millionaire today ,as she says; just take a look at the prices on ebay.Hired at 17 by Epstein,Freda was her secretary,and we get a fly-on- the-wall account of the Beatle mania years; Freda always stayed in the shadow,it was her friend who demanded her wage should be raised .But her anecdotes are a treat to hear:Ringo's nine letters ,Lennon 's metaphor of the desert island where Freda would be safe with "Eppie",the devoted Harrison family always here to give a helping hand,the Moody Blues episode where she was almost "fired" .When she left the greatest musical phenomenon of the sixties,Freda had to continue to earn her living ;she never complained ,although she got a raw deal :her son Timothy prematurely died and she deeply moves us when she says that she did not tell him much about her past (which almost every English girl envy);the birth of a grandson makes her change her mind and spawn this absorbing documentary.She never wrote a book ,but this movie will replace it for Beatles' fans .Although she was bruised by her son's death ,she does mention all these people ,part of the legend ,who died well before their time: Epstein,Lennon and Harrison,Moe Cox and Linda McCartney, Derek Taylor....Let her take you down and you 're going to memory lane,where everything is real.

This is not a tell-all movie. It's about Freda, from Freda herself, who thought herself the luckiest girl in the world.When you think you've seen every documentary about the Beatles or Beatles phenomenon, along comes this absolutely charming film about the member of their organization almost solely responsible for the unbridled love their fans felt for them on a global scale.Freda clearly loved them as family, and never stopped loving them. It's as if she's speaking of her brothers. As she tells her story, you'll be transported back in time, and you'll feel that excitement you felt when you first discovered the Beatles. Freda's loyalty never waned, and the joy and glow she felt in her job and relationship with the boys just radiates off the screen.

Watching this film brought me right back to the 60's when I was a teenager. I remember so many things from that time, the air raid sirens, the bay of pigs, the JFK assassination and then the Beatles. They were a breath of fresh air for a troubled world. Their songs were simple but beautiful. People went wild over their music, yes there was a future and it was fantastic. They stood for something really important. I looked at the faces in the film, filled with hope. Everyone looked so skinny and healthy! I loved the shots of the cavern club and everyone answering letters in the small office over the record shop. I liked the viewpoint of someone from behind the scenes. But of course I don't think for one minute that hiring Freda was an accident. Brian Epstein obviously had a totally uncanny ability of hiring the right person for the job. The Beatles were advanced beings and obviously so is Freda. Wonderful film, really put tears in my eyes. After the film was over (Bloor HotDocs Toronto) the director Ryan White gave a Q/A over Skype. This was an unexpected bonus and really added dimension to how the film came together.

Wow, this is a gift to Beatles fans everywhere! I just had the pleasure of seeing the NYC premiere of this film at the Museum of the Moving Image, with Freda there in person along with the film's director, Ryan White. Freda intimately witnessed the Beatles saga from the beginning to the end, as the Beatles' secretary for her day job, and as head of their fan club during the rest of the day. Of course the beginning is the best part – in the Cavern Club with Pete Best, before Brian Epstein even came onto the scene. The Cavern Club photos are amazing! Freda's earnest devotion to the Beatles and their fans is truly inspiring. If a girl sent the Beatles Fan Club a pillowcase and said "Please have Ringo sleep on this and send it back to me," Freda would take the pillowcase to Ringo's mom and tell her to please make sure her son slept on it. If a fan asked for a lock of hair, Freda made sure it was truly Beatles hair. This film will make you relive the wonder of the explosion of Beatlemania through Freda's eyes. It also provides a wonderful glimpse into Brian Epstein's role in the Beatles' success ("Eppie" to Freda and the Beatles). I loved how Freda was totally unaware of Brian's homosexuality, until the day John told her that if she was ever stranded with Brian on a desert island, she would have nothing to worry about.Thank you Ringo, Paul and Apple for assisting with this film. Thank you Freda.