MOVIE REVIEW: YESTERDAY

Jack Malik is a struggling singer-songwriter in an English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie. After a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed. Performing songs by the greatest band in history to a world that has never heard them, Jack becomes on overnight sensation with a little help from his agent.

Director: Danny Boyle

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

Release Date: June 28, 2019

Biography, Comedy, Fantasy, Music

Rated PG-13 for suggestive content and language

Runtime: 1 h 56 min

Review:

Yesterday is an uplifting musical fantasy grafted onto a romantic comedy.  Danny Boyle’s film is energetically directed resulting in a film with a strong pulse beating throughout.  Himesh Patel is pitch perfect in the central role, carrying the film with impressive ease.  He’s likable throughout the entirety of the film but is greatly helped by being paired with Lily James.  The film works best when they are on screen together because of the strength of their onscreen chemistry.  James hasn’t ever really left much of an impression beforehand but here she’s just perfect playing the part of a lovelorn love interest.  Patel has an impressive singing voice which makes his renditions of a bevy of Beatles classics infinitely more toe tappingly good.  If there are a few drawbacks it’s the story itself outside of the initial premise is a fairly straight forward romantic comedy, thankfully the two leads make you invest emotionally into their story arches.  Kate McKinnon, who I usually enjoy, is just terribly miscast and just sticks out in all the wrong ways.  Also, there is a late act reveal that’s sure to be divisive amongst fans.  It’s a strong impactful moment that’s probably one of the bolder decisions in an otherwise safe film.  Even with a few drawbacks Yesterday is one those rare films that will have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face.  


B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Yesterday

Last night I was fortunate to catch an an early screening of Danny Boyle's Yesterday.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

During a freakish worldwide blackout, a young musician is hit by a bus and wakes to find no one else remembers the Beatles.

Dear Reader(s), a disclaimer: Yesterday is not a science fiction film. It does not get into the hows and whys of the blackout or the items subsequently missing from memory. The story simply moves forward on the premise that it happened, and it expects viewers to do the same.

Yesterday presents an interesting quandary: What if you were the only person who remembered something as previously well-known and well-loved as the music of the Beatles? What if you could return to the world a wonderful thing it was suddenly missing? What if you stood to gain from doing so? These questions weigh heavily on Jack Malik, portrayed with humble charm by Himesh Patel, and his struggle gives anchor to what otherwise might seem a flighty premise. Lily James is endearing as Jack's stalwart manager/number-one fan, and Ed Sheeran is terrific playing Ed Sheeran With a Bigger Ego. Ed gets full marks for being a good sport here, and as a fan I am excited that what I expected to be a cameo is actually a significant role, complete with a new song! Kate McKinnon is a little too much (as she often is) as the brash Big Deal Music Manager, but she's a small misstep in what's otherwise a pretty perfect movie.

Yesterday tells its unique tale in flawless fashion, with nary an instant where your attention might stray. The Beatles' music is as magical as ever, and Patel sings their songs as if he were born for it. The film's humor is self-deprecating and well placed, offering laugh-out-loud moments as well as sympathetic chuckles. If you are a Beatles fan, there's a gut-punch in the final act that hurts like hell, but, objectively speaking, it adds yet another layer to an already well-crafted story and the movie is better for it.

Yesterday clocks in at 116 minutes and is rated PG13 for "suggestive content and language."

Yesterday takes a horrifying idea--a world without the Beatles--and turns it into an uplifting story about the power of music, truth, and love.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Yesterday gets nine. Fangirl points: I mean, Ed, obviously.

Also great to see Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sarah Lancashire!

Until next time, as Sir Ringo would say, "Peace and love!"