"Yesterday" is an Occasionally Charming, but Dull Romantic Comedy
By: Keaton Marcus
50/100 “sour”
If you've read the large tag lines on the banner or even observed one or two of the trailers, you would know that Danny Boyle, the director of "Trainspotting" has been cooking up a fantastical comedy about a world without the Beatles. Yep, no Fab 4. "Yesterday" has a wonderful premise, but never get's off the floor enough to create a compelling film. There are laughs here and there, and the music...as expected, is terrific--but the execution of the plot and the drama disappoint. The cast played their part, but Kate McKinnon is the star of the show, bringing wit, and realism to her role. It's harmless and cute, but those two words never excuse the fact that the film feels a little rushed; the direction is off, and the plot points feel fake. If you're a die-hard fan of the Beatles or a rom-com fanatic, this film is a good bet for you, but if you're planning to see a real film...it's best to bring the pillow.
Right, the premise, thought up admirably and ending up slightly undercooked. Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), a struggling musician, is hit by a bus one night during a 12-second global blackout. The songwriter awakes in a hospital and soon finds that yesterday everyone knew the Beatles, and the next day, no one does. He commences to re-create their precious music and sell them as his own music, as Jack is the only person on Earth to remember them. Malik soon becomes a massive hit, but under the hood, he feels loads of guilt for deceiving the public that the Fab 4 music was conceived by him--also struggling with his love life with Ellie Appleton (Lily James), a small-town school instructor. Jack begins a conflict between the ambitious life of fame or a small life in Liverpool with Ellie, the love of his life. The premise sounds wildly unfamiliar, but taking in the clichès, "Yesterday" ends another bleak romantic comedy.
Danny Boyle earned his bones with films like "Trainspotting", and "28 Days Later", showing that he's able to do a jaunty comedic and dramatic blend; it just never shows here. Sure, the comedy bits are clever enough. It's when it comes to the serious moments, which is when director Boyle comes in, he stiffens up and turns the scene into a pretentious, and uncomfortable job. What keeps the film from being a complete disaster is the considerable chemistry between Himesh Patel and Lily James, who both prove worthy as a solid screen couple in the popular genre, this is, of course at the expense of being undermined by the incompetent screenplay. It's really McKinnon (mentioned before), who steals the show as Jack's agent, Debra Hammer, who brings substantial irony to the power and money-hungry role.
The final verdict is: "Yesterday" brings a considerable amount of laughs, and a game Kate McKinnon, but the film never hits the bar of its wildly unfamiliar premise, boggling it with crude direction, and a makeshift screenplay…$KIP IT
By: Keaton Marcus
Opening Weekend: 17m
Domestic Total: 73.2m
Worldwide Total: 153.7m
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