Movie Review: Yesterday

Yesterday

Director: Danny Boyle

Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, Ed Sheeran, Joel Fry

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 116 minutes

I’ll start this off with two honest statements to set my framing for this movie. 1) I’ve only ever seen one Danny Boyle movie (28 Days Later). 2) At best, I think The Beatles are alright. They’re not a band I listen to by choice, but I’m familiar enough with their music. I’m the absolute perfect guy to review this Danny Boyle film that centers itself around the music of The Beatles.

Jack Malik is a struggling singer/songwriter, with his only fan being his best friend/manager, Ellie. During a global blackout, Jack gets hit by a bus and wakes up in a world where The Beatles never existed. Taking credit for their songs, Jack propels himself into a star, but fame comes at a cost, and Jack and Ellie start to grow distant.

I really dig the heck out of the premise. The Beatles are really influential, and a world without them would be interesting to see. There are some other subtle changes in this world, but they don’t get explored too much. Which, I understand, the movie isn’t about that. Otherwise, it’s your standard love story kind of movie. There’s a happy ending to it, but no real consequences for anything. Even when it seems like Jack will be outed as a fraud, it really doesn’t lead anywhere. There are some emotional moments, that’s for sure. Despite my neutral attitude for The Beatles, there’s a moment that even had me gasp a bit. I went with my parents to see this, and my Dad cried a bit.

The actors and actresses really make the movie. Himesh Patel is a really great leading man. He definitely feels like the “fish out of water” that the character is with all the newfound fame. On top of that, he actually performs the songs for the movie, and he’s wonderful. Lily James is great, and the two have a lot of chemistry together. The side characters really do make the movie and have a lot of the better comedic moments. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kate McKinnon give a bad performance, and she continues to bring it in this. She’s a music industry manager and plays it straight, but blunt, and it’s intentionally funny. I think Joel Fry kills it as Rocky, a friend of Jack as well as his roadie. Just a kind of air headed but super supportive friend, and Fry just knocks it out of the park. Ed Sheeran is also in this, and he shockingly plays Ed Sheeran. I have no strong feelings for him either way, but he’s good in this. He’s Ed Sheeran, he automatically nails his role.

I like this movie. Would I see it again? Maybe not in theaters, but if it’s on TV or streaming I’ll definitely give it another watch. I can’t fault the movie for not exploring this alternate Earth more than they did. It was never going to be that, and the way they did explore it is funny. The story follows some standard rom-com beats, but the performances and music make up for it. Especially if you like the music of The Beatles.