Yesterday Review

The "what if" scenario of finding out that nobody knows who The Beatles are except you is an interesting enough topic to have a conversation about, but screenwriter Richard Curtis’s new film Yesterday proves that the situation lacks a unforeseeable aura and doesn’t have the complexity to stay engaging or unpredictable enough to garner a feature-length film. Yesterday displays a competent knowledge and execution in most of its elements, occasionally creating well crafted scenes full of charm and rhythm. Curtis shows off his knowledge and research of The Beatles through clever quips and one-off jokes, but he struggles to harness the same cleverness within the story or character arcs. Elements of the film that were clearly planned with effort and care are constantly downplayed by the films formulaic story and foreseeable events.

Yesterday is the story of struggling musician Jack Malik, whose confidence in his dreams of becoming a famous singer/songwriter is on its deathbed. After performing in front of yet another small and unenthusiastic crowd, Jack frustratingly claims to his childhood best friend and manager Ellie that the show was his last. On the way home, a mysterious blackout causes a bus to hit Jack off his bike and completely unconscious. When Jack wakes up, not only does he find that two of his front teeth have been knocked out from the accident, but he soon discovers that everyone in the world doesn’t remember who the legendary band The Beatles are. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Jack performs the famous discography of The Beatles under his name and gets propelled to the same level of fame as the band he’s secretly covering. However, Jacks guilt begins to weigh heavy, causing him to reconsider if everything that’s happening is really what he wants and deserves.

The music is never overplayed, but the comedy is. Much of the films humour works in the beginning but quickly starts to rely too heavily on references to past jokes. While the music is cumulatively the films strongest element, how the music is presented also becomes unadventurous. The songs that Jack plays throughout often lack coherence with what’s going on within the story. The familiar hits from The Beatles do give the film a consistent energy that helps elevate the more forgettable scenes, but overall Yesterday never escapes the standard clichés and events of the generic romantic comedy.

The performances in Yesterday are worth noting as much as the music. Himesh Patel, Lily James and Kate McKinnon carry a charisma and confidence that helps give their characters added depth. But unfortunately, it's not enough to ever make the film stop feeling linear. Yesterday reassures the flatness of its story by producing an ending that’s unsurprising and not fully rewarding.

The filmmaking, acting and music all works but never truly stands out, but it’s the predictability of events that never gets the film off the ground. Those who are looking for a film that doesn’t require one’s full concentration will get the most out of the breezy music covers and easy to follow plot points. Yesterday is good but never great and will more than likely become something that fades into the background of the constantly expanding catalogue of musically driven films.

Competent filmmaking, strong performances and wonderful covers of hits from The Beatles saves Yesterday from its intitally interesting yet limited premise.

Produced By: Universal Pictures
Runtime: 112 minutes
Rating: G