"Yesterday" (2019) Review

“Yesterday”: an underwhelming fantasy drama.

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 1:56

Review by: Livi Edmonson

Written by the extraordinary screenwriter and romantic comedy king, Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Notting Hill”, millions more…), and directed by the groundbreaking director of “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), Danny Boyle, “Yesterday” had the perfect formula to be not just a great film, but a spectacular film. The plot, to be as simplistic as possible, goes like this: Jack Malik (played by Himesh Patel), a struggling singer-songwriter, one day wakes up after a bike crash only to find that he is the only one that remembers The Beatles. Using this somewhat of a curse as a newfound gift, Jack then decides to make the popular songs his own, becoming a major popstar in the midst of doing so. When fame ends up being not all it is cracked up to be, Jack must turn to his ex-manager/best friend, Ellie (played by Lily James), to keep him grounded, even finding love while doing so.

Actors Lily James, Himesh Patel, and Kate McKinnon at the premiere of 'Yesterday'. 

You are probably asking right now, what went wrong? Nothing in the film necessarily went wrong, per say.  Instead, it was more of the fact that there was nothing to go wrong in the film to begin with. The film has a beginning, then a middle, then another middle, and quite frankly, no ending. The script fell flat about a third of the way into the film, leaving the audience with nothing else to hold onto. For those who are not catching on to this subtle screenwriting lingo: the film was terribly slow, only for nothing to happen. There was not even a huge climatic build-up. As I am writing this, I am praying that Richard Curtis will forgive me, for he is the greatest screenwriter of our time. Although, I am starting to think that the issues with the film came more from the execution from the actors more so than his halfway decent, yet wildly creative script.

When I say that there was an execution issue, I particularly am talking about lead actor, Himesh Patel. Patel has the voice of an angel and clearly was a perfect fit for the music portion of this role, considering his voice, at times, mimics an early Paul McCartney. However, as an actor, there was nothing charming about him, unfortunately, and it very much affected the film as a whole. I wanted to like him and his character so badly, but I found myself wondering when his character was actually going to become likable, and when the film ended, the character was still unlikable. To me, the worst part about his character and truly the text in general, is that his character, Jack, did not even seem to be a genuine Beatles fan, or even a Beatles fan at all. As someone who is by far one of the biggest Beatles fans in the world, just like many of the other audience members that will be drawn to this film probably are, Jack’s lack of enthusiasm for the band itself came off as very disrespectful and left a bad taste in my mouth. 

For someone who is known for his craft of writing characters that are exceptionally lovable, Richard Curtis really missed the mark with this main character, which is why I am led to believe that maybe it was again, not a character/writing issue, but instead an execution issue by an actor that was maybe too afraid to step out of his comfort zone. But come on, Mr. Patel---your first role is in a film written by the Richard Curtis. Enthusiasm would at least be appreciated, instead of the bland performance the audience received. 

All in all, “Yesterday” is not a bad film, but it is not a good one either. The premise of it is amazing, as is the dazzling soundtrack that stays true to the Beatle’s roots, but everything else about the film falls flat and leaves the audience wanting more--- and “wanting more” in a negative way, as in the film’s conclusion was unsatisfying. If you are a ginormous Beatles fan, I highly recommend not going to see this film, for as I mentioned earlier, it will leave an awful taste in your mouth. Besides the film itself not really relying too much on The Beatles but instead, only on the existence of their hits and success, there is also a bizarre twist that happens within the film that made the rest of the film feel almost unbearable for me to finish.  I am maybe being a little too harsh and critical on the movie, considering that I am once again, the biggest Beatles fan ever, but unless you want to waste your money on a barely entertaining, exhaustingly slow piece of cinema, I do not recommend this flick at all. Just buy the album if you are at all interested: it is the only great thing the film has to offer. This one is for you John, Paul, George, and Ringo: how dare they?  I give it a 4/10.