Yesterday

By: Ashlee Dell’Arciprete

The “bump on the head” film genre is often a difficult device to land on screen. The reason why such a film is able to work, when it does, is when the audience truly believes in the world of the film and that the details of the plot could actually occur. One of the most anticipated films of the year, Danny Boyle’s film Yesterday, closed out the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and uses this same device. In case you haven’t been made aware, the premise of Yesterday is that an aspiring British singer and songwriter takes a fall and hits his head only to regain consciousness to a world that has never heard of The Beatles. The premise itself sounds crazy, in the mere thought of an entire population forgetting about a legendary band, but does it work?

Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is an English singer-songwriter who is struggling to have his quintessential big break in the music industry. Jack is about to give up on his dreams and quit music altogether when the entire planet loses power and causes a bus to crash into him and his bike. After waking up in the hospital Jack soon finds out that aside from his missing teeth, what is also missing is The Beatles from the memories of everyone but his own. From the moment Jack finds out that he’s the only person in the world who knows about The Beatles the film dives into playing with what may happen when Jack Googles the band and their songs in disbelief. His best friend Ellie (Lily James), who he has had a crush on since they were young, has remained one of his only and biggest fans…until now.

Jack soon becomes an instant sensation as he plays the hits of The Beatles as if they were his own, beginning with “Yesterday.” Jack’s friends and everyone who hears him play songs from the iconic band think they’re in the presence of Bach or Mozart or some other prodigy, even bringing them to tears. The film, of course, uses this to their advantage knowing how amusing it would be on screen. Jack doesn’t just stop with playing songs to friends though as he wants to be known by the world. He records an album of hit Beatles songs. Before it’s release he is noticed by none other than Ed Sheeran (playing himself), who just shows up at his house. Jack is asked to be Ed’s opening act on tour and obviously become a global phenomenon, including working with music agent Debra (Kate McKinnon) who is the most hilarious part of the film. Eventually, the lie shadowing the length of the film causes everything to not go in Jack’s favor.

The cast is comprised of Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon and Joey Fry who help to create a believable film. This is Himesh Patel’s first feature film after only having worked on shorts prior to Yesterday. He is outstanding while Kate McKinnon is the comic relief and steals every scene she is in. Ed Sheeran is also surprisingly great in the film and has some hilarious scenes as well.

Danny Boyle clearly intended to create another hit after his wildly successful string of films like Slumdog Millionaire and Steve Jobs. Yesterday will definitely be a crowd-pleaser for multiple generations of Beatles fans, although not every aspect of the film delivers. The Beatles is not the only thing that has been forgotten about, including Harry Potter, Coca-Cola and the band Oasis, to name just a few. However, the film never explains why more than just The Beatles have been left out and leaves you questioning what the point was for them to have been forgotten. Despite that, Danny Boyle and Screenwriter Richard Curtis create an enticing and memorable film that transports you into the film’s world as you root for Jack’s rag-to-riches tale.

Yesterday is a narrative film that pays tribute to one of the most influential bands in history. From the cast, to the music and to the characters, it succeeds in being a movie for multi-generational audiences to enjoy. You must have thought, how was the film allowed to use the songs from the Beatles? The answer is a film with a big budget. “All You Need Is Love,” “Let It Be,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Hold Your Hand,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Here Comes the Sun” are just a few of the songs played in the film. Beatles fans, old and new, will adore how Himesh Patel handles the role. Yesterday uses the cushion of the film’s unusual premise to suspend disbelief and change the course of history in order to pay homage to an iconic band.

Yesterday held its World Premiere at the Closing Night Gala of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.