Good Ol' Freda (2013)

I kept catching this film at different parts of the movie via channel surfing, and just saw this today from the beginning. This is more than a doc on the Beatles, this is an example of honor and dignity. What a treasure Freda is...and it is refreshing to see a portrayal about honesty, honor and what it means to be a decent person.

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.

Liverpool resident Freda Kelly had a job that any girl in the '60s would have loved to have: she was president of the Beatles' fan club. The documentary "Good Ol' Freda" features an interview with her. In addition to her memories of getting to work with the Fab Four, there's the ubiquitous music, some Beatles and some non-Beatles. This combo of interviews and music adds up to a great look at an era that will almost certainly not have an equivalent in our lifetimes, even though I was born long after it was over. This is one fine documentary. Of course, anything relating to the music of that era reminds us what real music is. I totally recommend this movie!

GOOD OL' FREDA (2013) ***1/2 Sweet valentine to The Fab Four in Ryan White's pedestrian yet warm-hearted documentary about The Beatles' secretary Freda Kelly's ascent from teenage office drone to fan club organizer ultimately to engaging friend who divulges little insight to the cult of celebrity yet manages to bring a smile to those who crave any and all details about the rock and roll legends, no matter how trivial. Her lifelong career (well for 11 years at any rate) proves that old school devotion pays off in more ways than fame and fortune: a lifetime of love and friendship; how rare indeed and again, all you need is love. Resplendent in awesome archival footage and gorgeous black and white candids of the rockers with their female compadre that will have you wanting to go back and time and (re)live it again. Fab!