For all his fame and fortune, Richard Burton can still read as a life unfulfilled. Not because he never won an Academy Award—his BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Grammy, and Tony certainly made up for any empty mantle space. His personal life was stressful—two turbulent marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, battles with alcoholism, and various late-life health problems—but not more than other lives. No, what hurts is the fact that despite a piercing intellect, Burton got his head turned by celebrity and never quite met the expectations critics had for him. So it’s no surprise that Mr. Burton, a biopic from the director Marc Evans, is an affecting watch. The film is about Burton’s early life in Wales and his studies under a schoolteacher named Mr. Burton (Toby Jones), who has recognized his talent. Mr. Burton steps into the role absented by Richard’s drunken father, and it is to this mentor that Richard (Harry Lawtey) owes his bravura technique, his confidence, and his name. —Jack Sullivan