Better Than Average Bear
The march of nostalgia porn continues its unrelenting journey into our hearts, minds, and wallets. But hey: it’s the Beatles by way of Danny Boyle, man. You can’t hide your love away.
There’s a large chunk of the world that was born knowing the lyrics to The Beatles’ songbook, presumably having learned them in utero. It forms some of the conceit behind fellow British icon Richard Curtis’ screenplay for YESTERDAY, a greatest hits package around which a film has been built.
Struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is about ready to give up on his career, despite the protestations of his cheer squad/manager/childhood best friend, Ellie (Lily James). When a strange event causes a global blackout, Jack is in a traffic accident that causes him to lose several of his teeth – while the world loses all memory of The Beatles. Spotting an opportunity, Jack soon becomes an overnight success with the Lennon-McCartney playlist.
There’s something vaguely familiar about YESTERDAY from the start, perhaps recalling a similar thread in the 1990s sitcom Goodnight, Sweetheart. Yet this is kind of the point: we’re in on the joke with Jack from the start because the Beatles are ubiquitous. As people shrug while Jack plays a bona fide classic, we share his frustration. (It also leads to at least one winking joke about Neutral Milk Hotel).
Structured around 15 Beatles songs, it tends to run a bit literal at times: the arrival in Los Angeles triggers “Here Comes the Sun,” a near mental breakdown results in “Help!” and what else do you debut in Russia but “Back in the USSR”? The latter introduces a subplot about a couple of characters who perhaps remember more than anybody else, albeit one that doesn’t really go anywhere. Part of the conceit is accepting some massive plot leaps, but if it was too complicated it probably wouldn’t work at all.
Most of the narrative is split into two parts. The main thrust is a satire (of sorts) of the music industry, with Kate McKinnon playing a variation on similar roles she’s had in the past. Ed Sheeran is also the star who acts as Jack’s mentor, having become the go-to cameo in everything from Game of Thrones to Home and Away. Thankfully, he’s in on the joke, particularly when he suggests that “Hey Jude” would be better served as “Hey Dude.” The other half is, of course, a rom-com.
While Danny Boyle’s name is on the tin, this is still unquestionably a Curtis Brand™ love story. Once we suspend our disbelief that anybody could be on the fence about Lily James, it’s still a weird romance based on guilt trips and constructed conflicts. Nevertheless, YESTERDAY is mostly an inoffensive and fun journey through an iconic songbook, or as one character puts it, “It’s just nice to hear the songs again.”
2019 | UK | DIR: Danny Boyle | WRITER: Richard Curtis| CAST: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon | DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 116 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 27 June 2019 (AUS)
