Yesterday is a completely charming UK comedy about an aspiring young musician Jack (Himesh Patel) who, following an accident, inexplicably remembers the band The Beatles when no one else does. To (almost*) everyone but him, it’s as though they never existed.
Jack can’t resist the opportunity to perform their music, claiming it as his own, but lives with guilt about taking credit for their work. There’s a love story woven in nicely with his small-time manager Ellie (Lily James) increasingly unable to ignore her feelings for Jack, even once he hits the big time in America and she’s back being a school teacher in England.
I really enjoyed this film. It’s light, fun, funny and if you’ve forgotten, as I had, how great The Beatles are, this will remind you!
I took along a friend who is a big fan of The Beatles and a very talented musician himself and since that’s a different perspective to my own, I want to share a few of his observations… “I loved the way Jack re-imagines The Beatles’ songs. The music (chords) were about 80 per cent right, which is how you would recreate them as a musician if you were in the same position.” He also noted that the trajectory of Jack’s path to fame was very fast indeed, but I guess that’s just a result of trying to fit it into a two hour film. Speaking of the length, I was sufficiently engrossed in this as to not ponder the time or length of the film once, which is actually pretty unusual for me.
If you’re a The Beatles nerd like my buddy, there’s some special gags in the film just for you; gags which he had to explain to me as they went completely over my head! For example, at one point when Jack and his roadie arrive at Liverpool Airport, the sign on the front of the airport says “Liverpool Airport” instead of “Liverpool John Lennon Airport”, as I’m told it’s actually called! My friend also pointed out that when Jack searches the internet for references to Oasis when he’s trying to establish what else has disappeared from the world, that the fact they too no longer exist is likely a reference to the fact that Oasis wouldn’t exist if The Beatles didn’t, as they’re famously accused of ripping off The Beatles.
Finally, I’d like to offer a little kudos for Ed Sheeran who has a mid-sized role in this film and proves to be a serviceable actor. Good on him for coming to the party. Kate McKinnon is also in it and nails the ‘mean but amusing LA music manager’ vibe.
So there’s the fan and non-fan perspectives for you. Yesterday is a pleasure to watch, whichever of these categories you call into.
Here’s a four star review in The Guardian if you want to read more.
Yesterday opens 27 June and is rated M. Trailer here.
*no spoilers, just enjoy the ride.