Yesterday (2019)

Yesterday (2019)

6/10

Starring

Himesh Patel

Lily James

Ed Sheeran

Kate McKinnon

Directed by Danny Boyle

Yesterday will not be in the top of the tops as one of the fabulous movies of 2019, but the movie tries to entertain with its somewhat weird plot, and in some instances it does.

The movie’s idea is what catches your attention and keeps you, as you wonder how it will end. I kept asking myself, is this a dream he is having? Is he in an alternative timeline? All these questions had one obvious ending for me which was that he will find himself back in the original timeline and will have learned something from the experience.

That did not happen as the movie decided to choose its own way to end the story, which was a surprise as I did not see that coming.

The movie introduces us to the said to be romantic couple, Jack and Ellie. Jack wants to be a musician and the emphasis is on “wants”. Ellie is his manager and someone who has feelings for Jack which is obvious to everyone including Jack himself. He does not want to explore the idea of being in a relationship with her, for some stupid reason.

One faithful day while on his bike something happens to the world. All the lights went off and came back on again. During the lights out Jack was hit by a bus. He wakes up in the hospital, with Ellie there taking care of him.

After he was released she buys him a new guitar and he sings to his friends the popular Beatles song, Yesterday. They were all moved by the song and asked him when he wrote it, he was surprised that they did not know it. This led to Google The Beatles and he found out they did not exist or better still never existed. He also discovered that some of the things he knows and love seem not to have ever existed.

This gave him an idea, and he tried to remember all The Beatles song he could change the lyrics where he could. He started to record and distribute his CDs and he became popular and rich. That came with a price, the girl he has overlooked Ellie now cannot be a part of his new fame.

It is not having her near him all the time showering him with love and care that made him realize how much he has been taking her for granted.

Also he lives with the fear of someone one day coming to realize that the songs he has been singing and traveling around the world performing are actually songs from another band.

The movie has an ending with his romantic interest that I did not like. What it looked to me was, he took her for granted all these time and when he wanted to have her, he did regardless of the other stuff happening in her life. Did not fancy that.

The movie is not the best romantic comedy out there, but it is something to watch.

The movie is written by Richard Curtis, someone I do admire for his work in sitcoms like Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and The Vicar of Dibley. Also in movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999) and Bridget Jones's Diary (2001). The movie is then directed by Danny Boyle whose other works include Trainspotting (1996) and its sequel T2 (2017) also Slumdog Millionaire (2009).