Movie Breakdown: Yesterday
Pre-Screening Stance:
The trailers for Yesterday haven’t managed to fully sell me on the film, but I’m pulling for it to be a win for Danny Boyle. The director had all sorts of issues on Bond 25, so he stepped away from it and opted to do this movie instead.
Post-Screening Ramble:
Unfortunately, the more I think about Yesterday, the less I like it. I was expecting it to be a love letter to The Beatles, one that would explore what someone (in particular, a musician) would do to preserve the band’s music if they were suddenly the only person in the world who remembered it. Instead there’s Jack Malick (Himesh Patel), a burned out singer/songwriter who simply tries to use whichever Beatles’ hits he’s able to recall to get the success he’s always dreamed of, and of course along the way he realizes that what he’s always wanted/needed/desired (hint: it’s a girl) has been in front of him the whole time. OK then? Now, to be fair, there are some charming parts (whenever Lily James’ Ellie is on the screen), there are laughs to be had (Kate McKinnon is fun as a nutty agent), and the film actually does well to not drag. There’s just a real lack of inspiration to it all though. The music feels more like a gimmick than a crucial part to what’s a supposedly Beatles-themed movie, which is odd, especially when you consider that you could swap in The Rolling Stones, Elvis, AC/DC, Carly Rae Jepsen or whoever, and it wouldn’t change the film at all. Also, even though Yesterday is set in some sort of alternate universe where more than just the Beatles have disappeared, the core story still manages to be flat and predictable.
In the end, Yesterday isn’t a terrible film, but its flimsy construction doesn’t hold when you actually take a good look at it. Definitely wait to see it on the small screen in your house.
One Last Thought:
Ed Sheeran tries his hardest to look like he’s not trying in the various scenes he’s in, and it makes for a pretty weird performance. I wish I could have been in his head as he was prepping to play himself in Yesterday – I imagine that he just kept telling himself to be himself but also to not be himself.
