A struggling musician realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed.
British humor requires an acquired taste, one I have and think you will too if “Yesterday” is your first interaction with a British rom-com. Richard Curtis offers the screenplay of a guy right out of little town England remembering The Beatles while the rest of the world forgets after a cataclysmic event. The movie pays tribute to the band with plausible humor and heart with only a few minor issues along the way.
At first, the movie starts with a slower pace, introducing the character Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) and gives a full scope of his life and lackluster music career performing for friends in local bars and the occasional festival. His best friend Ellie (Lily James) serves as his best friend, manager, groupie, and cheerleader convincing him to carry on even when he believes its time to give up music so he can move out of his parent’s house. That is until the entire world loses power for twelve seconds.
The power outage causes a glitch in the matrix for everyone in the world except for Jack who got hit by a bus while riding his bike home in complete darkness. He wakes in the hospital without his two front teeth and with memories the rest of the world had forgotten, including The Beatles. The world forgot a few other things too but I’m not sharing because those were some of the best parts of the film.
In short order, Jack realizes the world lost a large art collection of beautiful songs and needs The Beatles back on the radio. He takes the opportunity to work out the lyrics and claim them as his own. He sings for his friends and parents, though the latter does not find his music moving as parents so often do with new art which cracks me up as the music was from their youth and not his! As he plays the music, the world listens, including a recording agent who gives him a card and then Ed Sheeran pops in for a cider along with an invitation to tour with him.
Now on the fast track, Jack has to leave behind his home, family, friends, and Ellie, his best friend of over twenty years. As expected, an unrequited love story emerges in time for Jack to trek across the world to LA for a record deal with a big label. Unable to deal with his feelings, Jack focuses instead on remembering lyrics and wowing the world with his music if not his voice, looks, or charm.
The catch is, two others keep popping up like stalkers, and who seem to remember the infamous band too. Coupled with the stalkers, an overzealous agent, deconstructing Ed Shereen’s musical self-esteem, and flunking at his love life, Jack feels the pressure drowning him just in time for his album release. An important decision changes everything for Jack and the world too.
Some movies need to force wit and puns but “Yesterday” is funny without effort which raises the charm another notch. The quintessential British humor with a touch of unrealistic whimsy thrown in for good measure does what other movies focused on rehashing old bands didn’t do, it worked. Also, I’m a huge fan of Richard Curtis’s other whimsical film “About Time,” not just as a fan of time travel but also sweet love stories with a twist and a hint of magic. He also brought “Love Actually,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” and is currently working on “The Little Mermaid” which makes him gold in my book.
Director Danny Boyle finds an even pace and even better, a fabulous music set. Of course, good music was a given with The Beatles writing all the lyrics. Although, there is a summer song with not a lot of interest in the movie too. The only loose cannon for me is Himesh Patel just doesn’t have a good enough voice to compare to Lennon or McCartney. His voice and well, all of him, is rather forgettable although this all plays into the plot with the blue-collar to world-famous appeal. He felt a little off in the part. Although, his sidekicks improved his presence, both Lily James and Joel Fry (as Rocky). The love story was necessary although could have been better. I would have loved to see a little competition and few girls throwing themselves at Jack just to mix it up a bit. The brutal honesty of the film wins me over the most, along with the funny parts. I really enjoyed this lighthearted rom-com, perfect for a date night.
In theaters Friday, June 28th
