Good Ol' Freda (2013)

One of my all time favorites.

Awesome Movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

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.

There probably isn't much to know about the Beatles that hasn't already been revealed in the forty-odd years since they disbanded, and if there were, their former secretary Freda Kelly probably wouldn't tell you. There is some nice information on the Beatles' early career, most notably on their days at the Cavern Club, but this is not so much a documentary about the Beatles as a documentary about what it's like to run a fan club for a cultural phenomenon.What makes the movie so enjoyable is Freda herself. The distinctly unglamorous woman is wonderfully likable, and it is charming to hear her talk about the pains she took to make sure fans got what they wanted (she continually emphasizes that she was a fan herself). She also tells a little of the Beatles' relatives and varying incidents such as one in which George drunkenly fires her.But the heart of the movie is Freda, whose loyalty and caring make her surprisingly compelling.There are a lot of sources for information on the Beatles; this movie is less an insider's view of them than a look at the experience of being an insider. And that turns out to be very interesting.

This is a story about a secretary and her impact on a band that impacted society and changed the fabric of our world. Freda Kelly was taken into the hearts of the Beatle's family - she was a sister, confessor, wet nurse, and the rainbow bridge to the fans. Undoubtedly, this is the best documentary ever done on the Beatles due to the organic honesty and unvarnished recollections of a woman who avoided cashing in.I was a puddle of tears at the end. The movie impacted me on so many levels. My mother was a secretary, and with each personal victory that Freda achieved (she was 'sacked' by John Lennon, and within minutes he was on his knees begging her to come back) I was reminded of my own life, and my own mother's struggles during this same time. God bless Freda Kelly, she weathered her own personal tragedies and lived to tell this gripping tale.

The moment that I saw Good Ol' Freda listed in the Hot Docs program, without reading the description, I knew exactly who this doc was about. That's good ol' Freda Kelly, once called the luckiest girl in the world by newspapers and teen rags, because she was the secretary to a little band called The Beatles. The title comes from the 1963 Christmas message recorded by the Fab Four for their fan club, which Kelly also ran, in which they specifically mention "good ol' Freda." Early in the film, Kelly looks at the camera and says, "Who wants to hear the secretary's story?"The answer of course is – We do, we do! All these years later, the world is still hungry for any piece of the story of The Beatles that has been left untold. And Freda Kelly is our last best hope. She has remained mum for years – she's never sold her story; rarely gives interviews; didn't cash in the treasure trove of Beatles memorabilia in her attic, instead passing it directly to fans or donating to charity. Good Ol' Freda is less a tale of The Beatles and more a tale of one woman's – a girl's actually, being only 17 when she was hired – fierce loyalty and protector of a trust given her by the four most famous men in the world.Freda Kelly was a nice Liverpudlian girl who found herself in extraordinary circumstances. She coped with those circumstances with more grace than one can imagine and has continued to do so for years. Kelly took her job very seriously, but… she was a fan first and foremost, and she still counts herself as one today. Turns out, that "luckiest girl in the world" appellation was exactly how she felt – and still does. Kelly notes that she agreed to do this doc, with some reservation, because she wants her grandson to know that she did some fun and cool stuff in the '60s. Good Ol' Freda will definitely make that possible.After the Sunday afternoon screening at TIFF Bell Lightbox, director Ryan White and producer Kathy McCabe came out on stage. The crowd applauded. The Freda Kelly came up. The audience – a packed house – leapt to its feet for a lusty round of ovation. That's the kind of affection Freda Kelly inspires and her story as told in Good Ol' Freda inspires. This doc is a must see, now at Hot Docs or anywhere else you can catch it.