Yesterday, written by Richard Curtis and
directed by Danny Boyle is a small film with a big soundtrack. It certainly
seems to be a crowd pleaser. Made for
something like $26 million, it brought in over $17 million on its opening
weekend (last weekend) alone. The public seems t like it, even if the critical
response is mixed. While the movie is not particularly deep and breaks no new
ground, I succumbed to its charms and much enjoyed it.
Most everyone agrees that the premise is interesting: During
a freak power outage, a struggling singer-songwriter named Jack Malik (Himesh
Patel) is involved in a serious collision.
Soon after he wakes up in hospital, Jack discovers that the world is not
quite what it was before. His friends are the same, his parents are the same, his
job is the same, his song-writing talent is as mediocre as before. Ob-la-di,
ob-la-da life goes on, right? Except, as it turns out, no one in Jack’s orbit –
indeed, it seems no one in the whole wide world - would recognize my reference to
that little ditty from The Beatles’ 1968 “White Album”. Nor has anyone heard of The White Album.
There were no Beatles!
Except, as Jack knows, there were.
At first Jack doesn’t get it. Then he can’t believe it. He
rushes home and googles “Beatles”, getting search results about hard-shelled
little bugs, but no Fab Four. His search for John-Paul-George-Ringo returns articles about Pope
John Paul. And so on. This is pretty funny stuff for us, but not for poor Jack.
But it does give him an idea. The next time he’s hanging out with his friends,
he plays a “new” composition for them, a little something he has called “Yesterday”.
They all think it’s pretty great, definitely the best thing he has ever done …
by far. Jack soon realizes he may have a
career in music after all. And the film takes off from there.
Patel, an English actor heretofore known mostly for his
British TV work (e.g. EastEnders), is terrific – engaging, sympathetic
and very watchable throughout. As a singer, he puts across the many Beatles’
songs that Jack claims to have written with sincerity and real panache. A few
even take on a new, special meaning in the context of the story. Help!
in particular gains a sense of urgency that overrides its familiarity. And damn,
I have to say that it is pretty nice to revisit some of these gems, hearing them
with fresh ears, just as Jack’s friends and his growing audience hears them.
There are fifteen Beatle’s tunes featured in the film,
ranging from the title song and other masterpieces like Hey Jude, Let
it Be, and Here Comes the Sun, to lesser bits such as Back in the
USSR and Carry That Weight. There are also snippets of or references
to several more from the canon. There’s also the fun of experiencing with Jack
the difficulties inherent in trying to accurately piece together from memory the
lyrics to beloved numbers like Eleanor Rigby. And, knowing what we know, it’s
pretty funny when Jack attempts to unveil his newest song, Let It Be, to
his well-meaning but disinterested parents, only to be stymied repeatedly - by
a Dad’s phone call, a request for a beverage, the arrival of an uncle, and so
forth.
There has been some criticism of the filmmakers’ song selection,
inevitable I suppose. There is a disapproved tilt in favor of McCartney numbers
(8) over Lennon songs (4), for example. I, for one, was disappointed that
greats like Strawberry Fields, Norwegian Wood, Drive My Car,
We Can Work It Out and While My Guitar Gently Weeps were left
out. (Which fifteen songs would you
include in such a picture?)
As I mentioned, the movie Yesterday was
written by Richard Curtis, who is best known as the writer of such mawkishly romantic yet charming hits likeNotting Hill (1999), Bridget Jones
Diary (2001), Love Actually (2003), and Four Weddings and a
Funeral (2004). So naturally, there is an associated romantic melodrama –
in this case featuring the lovely, talented Lily James [Downton Abbey
(2012-15), The Exception (2016), Baby Driver (2017)]. James plays
Elly Appleton, Jack’s best friend since childhood and his “manager” for the
last ten years or so. They are not lovers, but the attraction is surely there. Jack’s
sudden, growing fame gets in the way and complicates things, of course; but might
this be for the best? I remind you that this is a Richard Curtis film and . . .
well, no spoilers.
Kate McKinnon [Saturday Night Live (2012 - ), Ghostbusters
(2016)] chillingly personifies the callous Hollywood talent agent, playing
Debra Hammer (her last name aptly defines her character) who quickly horns in
to become Jack’s new manager/Svengali. She’s good, but I wish that someday soon
McKinnon finds a role that’s more three-dimensional. (She may get that chance
in the recently announced TV miniseries, The Drop-Out, in which she is
slated to play the disgraced Elizabeth Holmes.) Joel Fry does a nice job as Jack’s goofy, but
loyal friend Rocky. Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar, both of whom have had
success on British TV [as in The Kumars at No. 42 (2001 – 2006, 2014)]
are just about perfect (and funny) as Jack’s proud but befuddled parents.
And then there’s cute as a button Ed Sheeran, currently one
of the most popular rock-pop artists in the world, and a budding actor as well. In Yesterday, he plays himself as a big star who, like everyone
else, is impressed with Jack’s brilliant songwriting talent and takes him under
his wing. There’s a moment when Ed proposes an impromptu song writing
competition, reminiscent of the scene in Don’t Look Back (1967) where
Bob Dylan and Donovan trade song performances in the latter’s hotel room; it’s
a great scene.
Yesterday is quite entertaining, with strong
performances all around, especially by Patel and James; deft direction by Boyle
[Trainspotting (1996), Slumdog Millionaire (2008)]; and great
music courtesy of The Beatles. It’s not edgy or groundbreaking, nor will it
change your views about life, but it is a lot of fun, and that’s not nothing.
1 hour 56 minutes.
Grade: B / B+
In wide release.
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