This film is a 12A, was released on June 28th 2019, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS
Yesterday is the story of a guy named Jack. He finds himself in a position in which he's struggling to get his music heard and isn't given enough respect for it. One night, all the power in the world goes out for 12 seconds and Jack is hit by a bus. He wakes up in the same world except he is the only person that can remember the legendary band, The Beatles. Because of this, Jack takes many of their beloved songs and passes them off as his own. This instantly raises his profile and he soon takes off. I liked the look of this film from the trailers, so I was keen to see it as I was sure it'd be a decent few hours at the cinema.
Overall, this was a jolly good time. It doesn't take a genius to notice that Yesterday has an absolutely brilliant premise, and it addresses every aspect of it, resulting in it being really funny. There are numerous jokes in which Jack searches The Beatles and related things such as Sergeant Pepper on the internet only to be met with ridiculous results. However, its not just The Beatles that the world has forgotten, as there are various other things regarded as common knowledge that only Jack can remember, and I won't tell you what they are as they were funny reveals. But the film generally has a really pleasant, feel-good tone to it and it does often raise a smile and a chuckle, which is more than enough of what I want from a film of this type. The film also pays huge amounts of respect to the band at the centre of it. I'm not huge on The Beatles, but it's easy for anyone to recognise their music and little nods and references to their history and discography. It's only when you see a film like this that you can fully appreciate the legacy of a band like this, even though it isn't about them, it is about their music they've produced. Performances were also top notch, Himesh Patel as Jack was really good, he was very charming as the lead. Lily James continues to show that she is a very talented actress, as she gives off another very strong performance. Even the supporting cast did a great job too.
In terms of negatives, there aren't many. The biggest issue I have and I think others may have is that the film is a bit formulaic. It follows the generic rock star storyline in which the protagonist begins as kind of a pathetic loser who believes there is nothing in his life of value, he gets to fame due to some kind of cheat, he's showered with riches and praise, but he then turns his back on the people in his life before, only to realise that he already had all he could ever need before he became famous. Pretty standard for a movie like this. It works fine and even appropriately here, but I do wish it did something to spice it up. The movie also repeats some of its best jokes to the point where they aren't as funny, and the pacing is somewhat off as Jack's rise to fame seems a bit too rapid, even if that was intentional.
As a whole, Yesterday was terrific. It wasn't the most original or memorable film I've ever seen, but it's really entertaining, pays the right amount of respect to The Beatles, has some really solid performances, and is overall very cheerful. Definitely see this one if you're a Beatles fan, or if you just like a bit of clever and straight forward entertainment like I do.
I'm going to give Yesterday an 8/10
Yesterday is the story of a guy named Jack. He finds himself in a position in which he's struggling to get his music heard and isn't given enough respect for it. One night, all the power in the world goes out for 12 seconds and Jack is hit by a bus. He wakes up in the same world except he is the only person that can remember the legendary band, The Beatles. Because of this, Jack takes many of their beloved songs and passes them off as his own. This instantly raises his profile and he soon takes off. I liked the look of this film from the trailers, so I was keen to see it as I was sure it'd be a decent few hours at the cinema.
Overall, this was a jolly good time. It doesn't take a genius to notice that Yesterday has an absolutely brilliant premise, and it addresses every aspect of it, resulting in it being really funny. There are numerous jokes in which Jack searches The Beatles and related things such as Sergeant Pepper on the internet only to be met with ridiculous results. However, its not just The Beatles that the world has forgotten, as there are various other things regarded as common knowledge that only Jack can remember, and I won't tell you what they are as they were funny reveals. But the film generally has a really pleasant, feel-good tone to it and it does often raise a smile and a chuckle, which is more than enough of what I want from a film of this type. The film also pays huge amounts of respect to the band at the centre of it. I'm not huge on The Beatles, but it's easy for anyone to recognise their music and little nods and references to their history and discography. It's only when you see a film like this that you can fully appreciate the legacy of a band like this, even though it isn't about them, it is about their music they've produced. Performances were also top notch, Himesh Patel as Jack was really good, he was very charming as the lead. Lily James continues to show that she is a very talented actress, as she gives off another very strong performance. Even the supporting cast did a great job too.
In terms of negatives, there aren't many. The biggest issue I have and I think others may have is that the film is a bit formulaic. It follows the generic rock star storyline in which the protagonist begins as kind of a pathetic loser who believes there is nothing in his life of value, he gets to fame due to some kind of cheat, he's showered with riches and praise, but he then turns his back on the people in his life before, only to realise that he already had all he could ever need before he became famous. Pretty standard for a movie like this. It works fine and even appropriately here, but I do wish it did something to spice it up. The movie also repeats some of its best jokes to the point where they aren't as funny, and the pacing is somewhat off as Jack's rise to fame seems a bit too rapid, even if that was intentional.
As a whole, Yesterday was terrific. It wasn't the most original or memorable film I've ever seen, but it's really entertaining, pays the right amount of respect to The Beatles, has some really solid performances, and is overall very cheerful. Definitely see this one if you're a Beatles fan, or if you just like a bit of clever and straight forward entertainment like I do.
I'm going to give Yesterday an 8/10
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