By Evan Lucken
Yesterday I saw the film, Yesterday. It’s a creative story that follows Jack, a struggling singer-songwriter on the verge of quitting his musical ambitions for a full-time position at his slog of a job at a big box store. His situation is understandably drab. The music he wrote himself only appeals to his friends and his live performances function as background music for near empty festival tents scattered with a few playing children. His bleak outlook changes when he is hit by a bus during a 12-second worldwide blackout that wipes the knowledge of The Beatles and their prolific catalog of music from existence. Coincidentally, Jack can still recall all the music that has been lost to the rest of the world. When he comes to this realization, he sees it as his opportunity to find the approval he’s always been yearning for.
Himesh Patel carries the film rather strongly with good acting chops and a great singing voice to boot. You can really sympathize with him as he just wants to entertain people and be the source of that joy. Things escalate and his frustration comes out well during his performance of “Help!”, which displays more of his mental instability than his audience realizes. One disservice to Jack is that he never returns to the music he wrote himself. It paints him more as a cipher for The Beatles rather than an artist in his own right. Perhaps a reprise of “The Summer Song” when everyone is finally listening would have been fitting.
Lily James plays Ellie, Jack’s friend/manager/sweetheart that has been by his side since 7th grade. She brings a warmth and care to the role but sadly gets underutilized once the story gets rolling. Ed Sheeran gave a fun portrayal of himself and brought some depth after he challenges Jack to a songwriting duel only to get blown away by “The Long and Winding Road”. The only problem in the casting department was Kate Mackinnon, which is unfortunate because I usually enjoy her performances. While everyone else felt real, or at least relatable, Mackinnon was a caricature of the worst agent in the world. She’s a purely money-driven music exec, and with constant snark and ridiculous faces. She just didn’t fit the rest of the film’s humor and at times, melancholy.
The biggest drawback of Yesterday is that it under-explores how never having heard the Beatles would impact the world today. So much music was inspired by the band and the only mention of their impact on modern music was an off-handed laugh about the band Oasis never coming into existence. The film also decidedly doesn’t explore how the world would respond differently to the music being heard for the first time in the present day. While at first people don’t give Jack the time of day, later the fans and audience react as if they were in the 60s. But we never see any emotional resonance, just a shallow fangirl following. The Beatles music is good. More than good. If you are basing a film around the idea that such highly regarded music could capture the world by storm 50 years out of time, then I feel it is important to address why the songs affect us. After all, they still have an impact on us today after all this time.
If you go into Yesterday with the hopes of enjoying some Beatles music and a charming cast, you’re in luck, because this film delivers great acting and musical performances. The comedic elements usually land and the premise is fun to watch unfold. But, there is a quality that is missing, like when you listen to someone cover an emotional song with technical proficiency but they just don’t quite have the emotional connection to drive the performance home.
Score B