Although this music documentary has some historic value, it aims to entertain—and succeeds, largely because its subject is a natural on camera. Freda Kelly was a working-class Liverpool teenager in 1961 when she first heard a band with a growing local following. She soon became the Beatles’ most ardent fan, working for them 24/7, by day as secretary to manager Brian Epstein, and by night as head of their fan club, answering massive piles of correspondence and churning out newsletters from her home. She remained a constant throughout their turbulent career. Director Ryan White combines great music and rarely seen archival material, designing the film like a fan’s scrapbook, with modest, bubbly, steadfast Freda as the glue.
Good Ol’ Freda
1 hour 26 min