On the heels of “Rocketman” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Yesterday” gives a new take to the popular music-themed movie genre. Although not really a biopic like the other two, the film uses some of the most popular songs from one of the most well-known bands in the world to fuel the storyline. I’ll be giving my honest opinion as well as several spoilers in this article, so if you’d like to watch it before you read it, here’s fair warning of the spoilers!
The film begins by introducing us to a young musician, named Jack, who’s struggling to make something out of himself. He’s nearly on the verge of giving up when something peculiar happens. A worldwide blackout leads to him being hit by a bus and then awakening in a world where The Beatles never existed.
Jumping onto this newfound stroke of luck, Jack begins to remember the music of the famous band and claim it as his own, creating his rise to fame. Along the way, Jack also learns that other things don’t exist in this new reality, things like Coca-Cola, cigarettes, and oddly enough even “Harry Potter.”
After having his five minutes of fame and professing his love for the woman he almost lost, Jack comes clean. He tells the whole world that the music isn’t his and it belongs to these four unknown men and he’s simply the voice to it. The world seemingly accepts this and eventually, Jack is allowed to settle down with the girl of his dreams and have a family.
Now to the nitty-gritty, what did I actually think of the movie? If I’m being honest, it wasn’t the best. It started out really well, things seemed to be moving a bit too fast, something I think caught up to the writers in the end. After I reached the middle of the film, I started to get a bit bored. It was like they jammed all the good parts into the beginning and then had a few sprinkled in at the end.
I also had a problem with the cohesiveness in the film. Certain bits just seemed pointless to the story, were left unresolved or were resolved poorly. I left feeling as if the trailer was a better version of the film than the actual film itself.
That being said, I did think that the acting was pretty good for the most part and that the idea of the film was a good concept. I just don’t think it was executed in the best way possible. I think if they really wanted a film to be an asset to The Beatles legendary name, they should follow in the biopic footsteps of Elton John and Queen.
I thought the movie was cute, but not something I’d need to see again and again. However, “Yesterday” does pave the way for the new Bruce Springsteen movie “Blinded By The Light.” Perhaps that movie will give me a new perspective on the movie “Yesterday.”