Yesterday (2019)

Even though I’m not a fan of the Beatles (aside from Paul McCartney’s amazing song for “Live and Let Die” which doesn’t really count), I was intrigued by “Yesterday.” Its unique premise, likeable cast and legendary talent behind the camera made me seek this movie out. So was it any good?

“Yesterday” is an enjoyable and charming film that somehow manages to feel original, whilst also falling into all the familiar pitfalls of other Richard Curtis movies. So although I was entertained by the jokes and cast of characters in “Yesterday”, it’s unbelievably cheesy and abrupt conclusion really let it down.

Hands down the best thing about “Yesterday” is it’s genuinely ingenious core concept. The idea of the entire world forgetting major parts of modern pop culture is a very compelling one that offers up some witty gags and interesting What If? scenarios.

The cast in “Yesterday” don’t set the world on fire, but they still do a good job. Himesh Patel and Lily James are both funny and charismatic as the two leads, Kate McKinnon is ok as the stereotypical uptight boss woman and Ed Sheeran does a pretty decent job of playing the marvellously written and multi-layered character called… wait for it… Ed Sheeran.

If you’re a Beatles super-fan, you may find the covers of the bands famous songs irritating, however, as someone who isn’t familiar with blue meanies, Yellow Submarines or Sgt Pepper, I thought Himesh Patel did a fine job; he brings energy and momentum to the songs, giving them a modern and distinctive sound.

The element of “Yesterday” that brought it down from a four-star film to a three-star one is that (as I mentioned earlier) the finale felt forced, unsatisfying and shallow. The story builds to an epic climax where the character’s conflicts come to a head… and then the film just stops. No questions are answered (the event that caused the world to forget the Beatles is never explained), and the movie concludes on an incredibly cringe-worthy montage where the protagonists live happily ever after, because this is a rom-com, so of course they get their fairy-tale ending.

From “Four Weddings and a Funeral” to “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually”, this is an issue that has aggravated me in almost every single Richard Curtis film. His comedy is always top-notch and clever, but the romantic moments that he writes have always felt undercooked and cliché to the point of self-parody. It’s 2019 for crying out loud, we’ve all seen the obligatory “The characters get married and have kids” scene a billion times already, we don’t need to see it again!

To summarise, I liked “Yesterday”, but I really wanted to love it. There is an outstanding movie somewhere within it, but its paint-by-numbers romance and offhand final sequences caused it to become a fun yet forgettable endeavour.