Review of Yesterday (2019) by Shpostal — 30 Jun 2019

Sometimes there comes a movie that despite some flaws or a plot that one might disagree with its charm and personality nonetheless win the viewer over. If you are a Beatles fan and/or know-it-all you will either accept the movie light heartedly and enjoy its plot premise or you'll be overly defensive of your idols and be inclined to rip the movie to shreds.

I took the light hearted path and thus was very entertained and pleased overall with the film even though it was admittedly gratuitous at times. To me it simply wasn't worth being overly critical lest it be a self defeating waste of time.

So the story involves one Jack Malik, played very well by Himish Patel , a struggling and average calibre songwriter whom for some reason after a global blackout and a collision with a bus becomes the only person in the world who remembers The Beatles and their music.

After playing a few lines of "Yesterday" he discovers this phenomenon, and at first being skeptical his friends really don't remember the Fab Four, decides to "write" some of their songs and pass them off as his own.

The results are humorous, somewhat predictable when the film recalls the Beatles history, such as Beatlemania, and a visit to Liverpool to see Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, but ultimately satisfying with a few interesting twists and turns and humor to keep the movie light hearted.

Overall it's a celebration of what made the Beatles great, their lasting impact on humanity after all these decades with their timeless music, and perhaps a glimpse that might give us a hint of how they would be received if they had started out just a few years ago as opposed to just over 60.

It is a delightful movie, perfect for summer, and a welcome respite from the onslaught of super hero movies, far too many animated films and more than a years' share of clunker movies.