Starring
Himesh Patel
Lily James
Ed Sheeran
Kate McKinnon
Directed by
Danny Boyle
Yesterday might
not be one of the standout films of 2019, but it does try to entertain with its
somewhat weird plot, and in some instances, it succeeds. The idea behind the
movie is what catches your attention and keeps you wondering how it will end. I
kept asking myself, "Is this a dream he's having? Is he in an alternate
timeline?" All these questions led me to believe the movie would wrap up
with him returning to the original timeline, having learned something from the
experience.
But that didn't
happen. The movie chose its own way to end the story, which was a surprise, as
I did not see that coming.
The film
introduces us to Jack and Ellie, the romantic leads. Jack wants to be a
musician—emphasis on "wants." Ellie is his manager and someone who
clearly has feelings for him, a fact obvious to everyone, including Jack.
However, he doesn't want to explore the idea of being in a relationship with
her, for some odd reason.
One fateful day,
while riding his bike, something happens to the world. All the lights go out
and come back on again. During the blackout, Jack is hit by a bus. He wakes up
in the hospital with Ellie there taking care of him.
After he's
released, Ellie buys him a new guitar, and Jack sings the popular Beatles song
"Yesterday" to his friends. They’re moved by the song and ask him
when he wrote it. He’s surprised that they don’t know it. This leads him to
Google The Beatles, and he discovers they never existed. He also realizes that
some of the things he knows and loves seem to have never existed either.
This sparks an
idea, and he tries to remember all the Beatles songs he can, changing the
lyrics where he needs to. He starts recording and distributing his CDs,
becoming popular and rich. However, this newfound fame comes with a price. The
girl he’s always overlooked, Ellie, is now not a part of his success.
It’s not until
he’s away from her—feeling her love and care—that he realizes how much he’s
taken her for granted. He also lives with the constant fear that one day
someone will discover that the songs he’s been performing are actually from
another band.
The movie’s
ending with his romantic interest wasn’t to my liking. To me, it felt like Jack
had taken Ellie for granted all this time, and when he finally wanted her, he
went after her without considering what was going on in her life. I didn’t
quite like that.
The movie isn’t
the best romantic comedy out there, but it’s worth a watch.
Yesterday was
written by Richard Curtis, someone I admire for his work in sitcoms like Blackadder,
Mr. Bean, and The Vicar of Dibley. He’s also worked on movies like Four
Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), and Bridget Jones's Diary
(2001). The movie was directed by Danny Boyle, whose other works include Trainspotting
(1996) and its sequel T2 (2017), as well as Slumdog Millionaire (2009).
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