Synopsis
Jack decides it's time to leave the world of music and go back to teaching, but the world seems to have other ideas. As he cycles home the whole world is plunged into darkness and he wakes up in hospital after being hit by a bus. But all isn't like he remembers, because no one remembers... The Beatles.
Review
More music related movies! It's not the end of them either. This one was however a delightful addition to this now popular part of the genre.
Jack Malik is about to give up on music after his big break at Lattitude doesn't go quite how he wanted it to. As he cycles off in the dark electricity across the world blinks out... and that's when the bus appears.
He wakes up in the hospital with his best friend and manager, Ellie, by his side. She's sure the world was trying to tell him quitting music was a bad idea.
When he finally makes it back into the real world his friends have all clubbed together to replace his guitar and beg him to play them a song on it. As Jack sings them Yesterday by The Beatles they're all taken aback, it's beautiful and they can't believe he's had the time to write it... who are The Beatles?
This movie was genuinely lovely, and I was very happy that the trailer had left us with some fun elements to have in the feature. Too often recently we've had the joy of discovery taken from us by those promotional 2 minutes of preview.
Himesh Patel takes the lead role of Jack Malik and is added to the ranks of brave actors who sing in their films. He's got an easy listening vibe that makes all the songs enjoyable to listen to. He's not The Beatles, but it's hard to live up to that, and he works wonders for that nostalgic listening. He's on top form throughout the film, there's a nervous energy to Jack, scared that he'll be discovered and taken back by the success.
Patel also managed to bring a wonderful humour to Jack's rediscovery of the world. First his scenes around searching for The Beatles and then followed up with him trying to remember their songs. It all brought a smile to my face.
Lily James... I can't say I'm a fan. I've seen her in everything from Pride & Prejudice & Zombies to the NT Live's All About Eve. She's a very consistent actress, and by that I mean I feel like her roles all come out very similar. The character of Ellie is actually surprisingly mean behind the love, which also didn't help the case. It was difficult to like Ellie for both of these reasons.
Making an appearance as Debra Hammer is Kate McKinnon. She's another actress that is a bit Marmite. She's brilliantly funny, but can be a bit much when she's lined up with joke after joke. In Yesterday she was a little more understated, and it made me want to see her in something a bit more on the dramatic side because this was a nice balance. She was just outrageous enough as the music exec without casting a shadow on the film's other comedic moments.
The rest of the cast really are a great ensemble too, I particularly liked the way Justin Edwards and Sarah Lancashire's roles evolved in the story.
Everything about the movie feels right (although I do have a couple of quibbles... I always do... but they would potentially be very spoilery to talk about) and some of the moments come together to really give you that goosebump feeling. There are some very noticeable camera choices, and while I wasn't a fan of the queasy ones the majority did fit in well with the scenes and... everything just made me smile.
I did wonder how The Beatles music would actually be received in the modern world, but I think they addressed that really well. I think we can all agree that "Hey Dude" is an atrocity.
Yes, you're left with unexplained things at the end of the film but honestly I don't think it matters. What you get is a feel-good film that left me with a smile and an urge to sing Beatles songs. You can't really ask for anything better than that.
What you should do
Definitely see this one. It's funny and energetic. It'll get you in that summer mood for sure.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I do sometimes wonder if a world without certain things would be good... but I don't think it's a sensible idea to make that list.
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