Yesterday Movie Review

The following is a movie review “Yesterday” by Marc Primo.

Release date: 28 June 2019 (USA)

Director: Danny Boyle

Language: English

Production companies: Perfect World Pictures, Working Title Films, Decibel Films

Producers: Ptim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Bernie Bellew, Matthew James, Wilkinson, Richard Curtis, Danny Boyle

“Is there anybody going to listen to a story, all about a boy who came to stay?“

With a little gender alteration, the opening line to the Beatles’ “Girl“ somehow perfectly encapsulates what Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis want to tell in their dreamy debut pairing, Yesterday.

In this smart romantic comedy, the most hauntingly beautiful songs by arguably the best band ever suddenly disappeared after a mystical blackout. This strange event then places a fumbling nobody musician into the pop limelight for the public to adore.

Himesh Patel stars as the struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malek, who is bent on pursuing his dreams to make it big in the music scene despite his many cricket-humming gigs. One night, our ’Nowhere Man’ chances upon some good fortune when he ironically bashes his face and shatters his teeth during an evening accident while on his bike, as the whole world blacks out for a few seconds and creates a parallel reality. Coming out of the hospital, he soon discovers that the entire world (save for him apparently) had lost its memory of all of the Fab Four’s songs. Suddenly, a day in his life comes together and he’s given a ticket to ride the bus to stardom. Of course, with a little help from his friends.

Curtis sits this one out and takes the writer’s pen while Danny Boyle assumes the director’s chair but as always, Curtis’s writing remains prolific and Boyle’s vision impeccable. What further completes the film’s novelty is how the stars portray their respective characters. Patel’s Jack is both funny and multi-dimensional, Lily James’s Ellie is the adorable sweetheart, Joel Fry’s Rocky is the scene-stealing roadie, Kate McKinnon’s Debra is all-Hollywood and (SNL), and most of all, Ed Sheeran’s Ed Sheeran is spot on and perfect—not because he plays himself but in how his whole image fits snuggly with the storyline.

Yesterday sets itself apart from other Beatles-centric films that are not about the Fab Four such as 2007’s Across the Universe and 1978’s I Wanna Hold Your Hand in the way it manages to steer viewers from the magic of the band’s music and right into Jack’s unfolding story. This, despite the heavy use of the Fab Four’s most popular songs. You can sing along and know who wrote the ditty but you’ll dive right back in to follow how Jack deals with his peculiar position, especially when strange individuals start darting quizzical looks in his direction.

Audiences are well aware of the caliber that both Curtis and Boyle bring on film, but this one is an absolute welcome surprise, even for the tired and pessimistic viewer. Yes, some scenes can be predictable, but what you’d really want to see in Yesterday is how its music, storytelling, and direction create an engaging escape from reality that makes you wonder what life could really be like without the things we’ve come to love for years. And as mushy as any closing can be, Yesterday effectively reminds all of us that all we do need is love, after all. Somehow, you’d probably want to listen to “Helter Skelter“ after watching this, just to bring back that bit of cynicism you lost while watching it.

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