Mr Burton

Despite being a bit lop-sided, this is still quite a poignant story of the young Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey) who has been living with his elder sister and her husband since his mother died whilst he was an infant. His dad (Steffan Rhodri) worked hard down the mines then boozed hard afterwards, and so the young lad was largely neglected by him as he grew to curious manhood. He was interested at school, liked to read and sing and play rugby - and that attracted the attention of his teacher Burton (Toby Jones). He was a scholarly man, but a frustrated Thesp, who had lodged for many a year with the widowed "Ma" (Lesley Manville) and wrote scripts for BBC Radio. It was this latter man's determination to get his young protégé to focus, knuckle down and learn how to say "here" properly that serves as the thrust of the plot here and allows both Jones and the impressive Lawtey to give us not just an illustration of Burton's conflict and potential, but also a glimpse into just how valued education was at a time when families lived on the poverty line and working at the pit from an early age was a necessity that made schooling a luxury. It takes a few liberties with the facts of their relationship and sows some suggestive seeds about what might have driven both men, but for the most part it's an interesting character study of a troubled man who quite possibly didn't know how to be loved. The conclusion is all a bit rushed, we do jump ahead quite substantially in the last ten minutes and those missing years do rather leave a gap in his transition from geeky student to Stratford celebrity, but with a generous contribution from Manville to help guide us through this turbulent period for him, his teacher and his country this is at the better end of television biopics, and with Lawtey acting rather than trying to mimic the original, is worth a watch.

A proper movie at last! No car chases, no endless fight scenes, no superheroes, just a great cast, great performances, and a great story - one that just happens to be true. Not just true, but inspirational - the story of young Richard Burton and especially the teacher, mentor and guide who helped turn him from a bright Welsh schoolboy into one of the world's great actors. Every character is well rounded, every performance excellent, every scene beautifully directed. The movie deserves the Academy Award, as does Toby Jones, who is always brilliant but in Mr Burton is exceptional.

We did not know what to expect with this film. We watched it in a little cinema in South Wales to set the scene.

The casting was spot on. Lesley Toby and Harry are superb, there is no over acting, everyone's accents are just right.

The directing and atmosphere is all you ever want. Such a lovely experience. Would honestly have been a score of 10/10 if the distant scenery and Port Talbot cgi was of a much higher standard. But all in all a very big Thank You.

Did I say Lesley Toby and Harry are superb, no over acting, accents are just right. The directing and atmosphere is all you ever want. Such a lovely experience. Would have been 10/10 if scenery and Port Talbot cgi was a higher standard. But Thank You.

The incredible story of how Rich Jenkins, a young man from a poor family in Port Talbot, rose to become a multi-award-winning Hollywood star.

It's very much my sort of film, and knowing Burton's story reasonably well, it was fascinating to see how they chose to bring it to the big screen. Without drifting into sentimentality, it's genuinely heartwarming - uplifting and quietly emotional. A young Burton had everything stacked against him: a troubled father, poverty, and at times even the country itself, yet somehow he pushed through it all.

It's a beautifully crafted film. It looks terrific, from the sets to the period details, and the CGI version of Port Talbot is impressively polished - though there were moments where I half-expected a bread-wielding cyclist to wobble through the scene, as if we'd slipped into an advert about wholesome Welsh mornings.

The score is soothing, almost deceptively so. You could easily imagine it accompanying a Hovis-style montage, but it fits the story well, softening the harsher edges without ever drowning them out.

Toby Jones and Lesley Manville do exactly what you'd hope - dependable, grounded, and quietly commanding. Harry Lawtey, who I know well from the excellent BBC series Industry, turns in a very fine performance, carrying the weight of the role without overplaying it.

It's the first cinema trip in a long while that's actually made me want to order the Blu-ray afterwards.

8/10.

At the risk of sounding like a Seinfeld episode, I'm forced to say, "Not that there's anything wrong with that..." This would have been a solid 8 if it hadn't been for the forced inclusion of the implied homosexuallity current that ran throughout the second half of the film. It wasn't necessary, had no bearing on the biographical aspect of the movie, and was simply innuendo that was never addressed by either Philip nor Richard Burton.

Rumors. And they just HAD to incorporate it to be what? Socially relevlant?

It didn't ruin an otherwise excellent film, but it certainly didn't help it, either.

Just completely unnecessary.