Yesterday (2019) - Movie Review

On the surface, this looks like an ideal match-up. A high-concept comedy built around the music of one of the greatest bands in human history, directed by hyperrealist Danny Boyle and written by British comedy legend Richard Curtis. Putting two creative minds together in a project that fits snugly into both of their comfort zones isn’t something that comes about that often, and considering how much I’ve lauded both of their works in the past, this has got to be an explosive piece of cinema. Well, make no mistake, it is certainly that, but it comes with certain… drawbacks.

While the concept itself isn’t new, since it’s been kicking around Europe for quite a while by this point, the idea of a pop culture touchstone suddenly being wiped off the face of the Earth is one ripe with storytelling possibilities. How does the world even make sense without the Beatles, considering how much they gave not just to music but also film and pop culture at large?

Curtis’ brand of endearing self-deprecation definitely channels some of that possibility, whether it’s discovering what else has suddenly been removed from Earth history (Oasis not existing because the Beatles didn’t either makes so much sense, it kind of hurts a little), or the retroactive gall of people trying to ‘improve’ songs by one of the greatest songwriting duos in the history of the medium. I applaud Ed Sheeran for being as game as he is throughout this whole thing.

It even manages to reach a decent note concerning the man who is becoming famous for someone else’s music in Himesh Patel’s Jack, making the case that a world without the Beatles is a lesser place in their absence. To paraphrase Voltaire, if the Beatles did not exist, it would be necessary to invent them.

Not that the film seems all that interested in exploring the wealth of ideas in its main concept. Sure, it makes for some fitting ribbing of the modern music industry, how much it’s changed since the era of the Beatles, and through the bluntly caustic delivery of Kate McKinnon as Jack’s eventual manager, it definitely tries to use the core idea to say something of worth about current pop music. But ultimately, this is a story far more about the romance between Jack and Lily James’ Ellie than it is to do with the discography of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Knowing how much page space I’m willing to devote to exploring the ideas offered by films, I get the feeling that I should be a lot more annoyed with that prospect. But I’m honestly not, because that romance is just so damn good that I find it hard to argue with. Much like the myriad of Beatles covers, the narrative beats here concerning having to choose between fame and love, mixed in with a bit of ‘the one who got away’ brand of romance, are nothing new. Hell, most audiences have likely heard the exact same thing elsewhere. But with that said, again like those covers, it’s because of the delivery and the context put into why we’re seeing/hearing them in this specific instance that still makes it work. That, and Himesh Patel not only doing all his own singing but also playing his own guitar and piano.

Richard Curtis knows his shit when it comes to writing naturally funny and heart-warming romance yarns. Hell, his work on Bridget Jones’s Diary pretty much changed the face of the rom-com as the wider cinematic culture understands it. And when coupled with Patel and James’ beautiful chemistry, it makes for incredibly potent stuff. The utter heartbreak that gets poured into Ellie putting her unrequited love on blast in the space of a single speech is so goddamn effective, it basically made me forget any and all gripes I had with the potential betterment of the material.

I mean, if I really had to stretch for a genuine reason for the focus on one over the other, I suppose it takes the typical weighing up of fame vs. being with the one you love, only pushing it to the extreme by making the fame option ‘as big as the Beatles’ (and, by extension, bigger than Jesus). Because the superficial love of millions will never match up to the genuine love of just one person.

So yeah, even as the guy who prefers his cinematic narratives to leave him with plenty to chew on, I am more than fine with how this film turned out. The performances are top-notch, both the delivery and the specific choices for Beatles covers work really damn well for the narrative, the writing explores just enough of the possibilities of the story to make it seem worthwhile, and as for the romance, it makes the film worth experiencing all on its own. It may not be the all-out barrage of creativity I would’ve wanted out of a collaboration between Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis… but I’m still quite happy with what they gave us anyway.