Yesterday

I remember when I first saw the trailer for this film. As a Beatles fan since I was a teen, this was both a frightening and intriguing premise for a film. We have seen protagonists experiencing alternate realities or universes before but these movies usually involve time travel like the "Back to the Future" films. "Yesterday" was a film for Beatles fans but the story of the film was still able to stand out. This is a romantic film and so it was important that there be acting chemistry and themes involving honesty & following your heart. I am glad that the pop culture songs did not completely overshadow the story but supported it.

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Richard Curtis initially had this film set in the 60's or 70's but I think a contemporary setting brings originality to the film. We not only get to see what the world would be like if the Beatles never became famous but we also get to see what Beatlemania would be like if it happened today with social media. I was glad for the establishing scenes where we see Jack struggling and the kind of relationship he has with Ellie. I applaud the use of " A Day in the Life" during the inciting incident. The premise of this movie I believe has parallels to the creation of the actual song "Yesterday". Maybe that's on purpose. Paul McCartney came up with the melody while sleeping but was afraid that he was accidently plagiarizing another song. After playing it for the other band members and for people in the business, he realized that it truly was an original composition. In the movie "Yesterday", Jack plays what he thinks is still a well-known song after being released from hospital but his friends believe he wrote it. The question that Jack asks himself upon realizing the truth and one that we ask ourselves throughout the film is whether it would be ethical or not to undo what was taken away. The film helps us understand that a world without the Beatles would be a sad one indeed but profiting from their work would be unethical. As the audience, we also ask ourselves what would we do if the thing we loved most in this world was taken from it. I am sure that at first, we would try to restore the damage as Jack sets forth to do. First however, Jack has to try and remember the songs without any help. I like how the filmmakers didn't have this happen to a die-hard fan/musician but rather a run-of-the-mill musician. As he set out on his mission, Jack is both looking for success but also to fix a great misfortune. As the film progresses however, the success and adulations fill him with guilt. Jack's rise to fame was entertaining because it isn't a copy of the Beatles rise to fame. There are no comparisons with the Cavern Club or the Ed Sullivan show. In a modern setting, it is obvious that not everything would happen to Jack in the exact same way it did to John, Paul, George and Ringo. There are a few references to the history of the Beatles however. Jack plays at the Pier Hotel in similar fashion to the roof top concert at the Apple Corps building. The trip that Jack and Rocky take to Liverpool isn't as nostalgic as he or we were expecting. Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane have fallen on hard times without their place in pop culture. That made me sad. It was even sadder to see the music execs reject Jack's attempt to replicate the iconic Beatles album covers. It borders on blasphemous, especially the picture of Abby Road we see in the film. The Russian man and the woman from Liverpool were used very well in the movie. Their scene together with Jack was very heartwarming as they teach us that while Jack may doing something wrong, it was born out of a desire to do something very important. It was bittersweet watching the subsequent scene with an old man by the ocean by the way. Despite all the Beatles references, the love story of the movie is meant to be the centerpiece of the film because we have to care about these characters. We are not in the theater to watch a concert after all. The music of the Beatles can be hard to compete again but the performances helped to make the love story strong and many of the songs were used to support the story. The use of "Help" in the film is a perfect example. (I think this was one of Himesh Patel's best moments). Another example was the final song that Jack sings in the movie. The running gag of using Google is pretty good and it is a fun way to close the movie because it shows that Jack has learned his lesson.

Danny Boyle was a good choice as director. I have seen his breakout film "Slumdog Millionaire" as well as "Steve Jobs". He definitely has some quirks and that makes him ideal to create a film that references the Beatles so much. The filmmakers had to pay $10 to use the songs and did get the blessing of Paul, Ringo and the families of John and George. The concert on the beach was not special effects because they actually used over 6000 extras. This kind of story demanded an unknown actor to play the lead role and besides this being his first film role, Himesh Patel had to be able to sing in such a way that it wouldn't sound like karaoke night. Patel did find a nice balance between making the songs his own while at the same time, retaining the spirit of the original music. This was important to the story because his character must be a good enough musician to appear original with only just a hint of plagiarism. I loved Patel's chemistry with Lily James. Even though James is a known actress, she fully came across as an average person in the movie. Kate McKinnon was so good as the villain of this movie. I fully believed that Debra was a greedy, inconsiderate agent thanks to McKinnon. I have heard the name Ed Sheeran before seeing "Yesterday" but I knew nothing about him. This isn't the first time Sheeran has performed as himself in a movie or TV show by the way. I like how the filmmakers decided to use an actual British musician in the story. He comes across as a tragic character in this new reality because he can't compete with contemporary Beatlemania.

I applaud how the filmmakers used some of the best music in history while not letting it overshadow the story. "Yesterday" also makes us appreciate the songs even more because we see them being performed in a universe where they have been forgotten. The movie contains some great performances, utilizes some dramatic themes and even employs some of the famous songs to support the story.

4 Stars out of 5