A Promising Look at 'Yesterday'

Jack isn't finding much success in music. His friends cheer him on in the pubs and his best friend/manager, Ellie, works extra hard to find him gigs and drive him there. But on the verge of quitting, Jack (Himesh Patel) gets hit by a bus and loses a few teeth but gains something else. You see, right when the bus hit Jack, the entire world lost power and a few memories too. Jack wakes up in a world that no longer knows who the Beatles are (or Oasis but that's less important). Jack begins to realize that his single knowledge of the beloved band might be of some help. The small town Brit starts to work hard and write down all the lyrics he remembers so that he can share them and find some of that success that seemed to avoid him. On his road, there are some twists and shouts that makes him start to wonder how he is living in life.

Yesterday comes from the minds of Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) and Richard Curtis (NottingHill, LoveActually) and is a love story, but not just the Beatles, but between Jack and Ellie (Lily James) too. Yesterday begs the question of what a Beatles-less world would be like some but also about how those days past were spent. True to Curtis' themes, the romance stays on the balance of authentic but cinematic. Also true to Curtis is his trademark friend groups and respect of family ties. Boyle brings his unique eye to the project with a grand sweeping scope, focused on small moments. The cinematography in the film is stunning bright colors that harken back to the world of the 60s that The Beatles entered. The editing is used to pull the audience into the words and the thoughts that endlessly drift through Jack's head.

The first act of Yesterday feels more rushed than it could have been, with the story trying to hit marks and details the audience would have not missed. The addition of Ed Sheeran (playing himself) coming in to help Jack get his stolen songs into the spotlight plus the now typical movie appearance by James Corden brings the story into a bit of reality that messes with the magic of it. Kate Mckinnon, never not funny, is a comical take on a dragged-out stereotype of the music manager but fails to give much to the overall plot of the movie besides for a few well-placed facial expressions. However, after the few stumbles in the beginning, Yesterday finds its footing as Jack starts to rise out of his humble place. Boyle handles sensitive moments with ease and joyful moments with pure celebration. The film finds sweet pleasure in the small times of Jack's story including his struggle to remember certain lines in Beatles songs, but also in the minutes Jack doubts his choice to even try to write down the words he does not own.

As Jack, Patel is his own star on the rise. The British actor brings much depth to a man struggling at first with failure and second with regret. Yet he does so humorously and with a Hugh Grant-esque flash of flair. James, as the long-suffering Ellie, continues to show why she should be in every movie. James manages to balance on the edge of being the friend in love but never into the stereotypical ground. Ellie's warmth and kindness lift the audience's heart as much as it does Jack's. Joel Fry's Rocky is basically a roadie version of Rhys Ifans quirky flatmate in Notting Hill but provides many of the well-timed laughs in the film.

Yesterday is a heartwarming tale about the power of one of the world's most famous bands but also about choices that make life harder or easier. Like many of Curtis' work, Yesterday is ultimately a film about celebrating life and what life gives you. Either it is on the stage at Wembley, a near-empty tent in Suffolk... or Penny Lane itself.