Film Review: Yesterday Dir: Danny Boyle

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Imagine there’s no Beatles, I wonder if you could. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) has teamed up with Screenplay writer Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Love Actually), to create a world that many music lovers would consider unthinkable.

Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon

Here’s the premise: Struggling musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is hit by a bus, just as some kind of global blackout occurs. When he wakes up in the hospital, he finds that things have changed…slightly. Among the most disturbing, no one has any memory of The Beatles. It’s as if they never existed. This becomes apparent when he serenades a small group of friends with Yesterday, and they all congratulate him on writing such a beautiful song.

It’s not long before the penny drops and Jack realizes that he can jump start his failing career by taking credit for writing such Beatle classics as Let It Be, I Want To Hold Your Hand and Something.

Suddenly people start to pay attention, he gets on local TV, then Ed Sheeran comes calling, inviting him to open for him in Moscow…cue Back In The USSR.

All the while, Jack’s long-suffering manager and best friend, Ellie (Lily James) struggles to come to terms with her friend’s new-found notoriety.

It’s not long before Jack Malik is a global sensation, with a new album full of Beatle hits and a concert at Wembley Stadium.

But, at what cost?

So there you have it. That’s the concept. And as high-concepts go, it’s a pretty good one.

Of course the whole thing hinges on whether or not those 50 year old Beatle songs still hold up.

Spoiler alert…they do.

No surprise there. As a matter of fact, one of the joys of watching this film is hearing these incredible songs in a new light…trying to put yourself in the position of hearing them for the first time.

I have always been of the opinion that the Beatles music was heads and tails above any other, and this just confirms that.

And despite some rather clunky directing from Danny Boyle, he does put together one or two scenes that are truly moving…especially if you are a Beatles fans.

BUT…things being what there are, there has to be a romantic subplot. And sadly, Richard Curtis’ script is about as predictable and clichéd as they come when it involves the inevitable “romance” between Jack and Ellie.

Some of those scenes are downright cringe-inducing, as is the forced humour. Spinal Tap fans will know immediately what’s going to happen as Jack is being led backstage at a gig by his hapless roadie, Rocky (Joel Fry).

And Kate McKinnon’s character as the overbearing American manager is ridiculously cartoonish.

Fortunately, the music makes even these serious flaws bearable.

So, just go a revel in the genius that is the songbook of The Beatles. As for the rest of the film…let it be.

Marty Duda

Marty Duda
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