Monday 8 July 2019

Film: 'Yesterday'

To enjoy this to the utmost it will help enormously if you're an admirer of Beatles' songs. 
In an original and very good idea with plenty of mileage in it, Himesh Patel (in his first cinema feature) plays a supermarket worker on the East Anglian coast. He's an aspiring solo rock singer in his own time, unappreciated and downcast, when he has a traffic accident at the exact same moment that there's a global power shutdown, waking up in hospital to be supported by his girlfriend (Lily James) and much all-round sympathy. Resuming his role as guitar-playing singer he's astonished to find out that through some worldwide time quirk the existence of the Beatles and all their output has been erased from history. (Lest you think as I did, why just the Beatles?, I must reveal that though the film turns on this singular omission there are other features of the past that have also vanished from collective memory). So, on realising this particular absence, he starts playing that group's repertoire, passing the songs off as his own compositions, and he quickly gets noticed and lauded, first locally, then nationally and very soon worldwide. One of his early noticers and admirers is Ed Sheeran in a 'jolly good sport' cameo - quite effective actually - guiding him into recording studio. His fame takes him to L.A. with appearances on T.V. and live on stage in front of many thousands, all in tune with his status of overnight international sensation. Meanwhile his girlfriend becomes ever more bewildered by his experience and understandably feels a significant alienation between the two of them. I'd thought that he might get increasingly disillusioned by the fraud he was perpetrating, known only to himself (or was it?) and decide to own up and.......  
But not knowing for sure how this tale could end, my guess being that another global power shutdown would revert the world to a Beatles-awareness state with its universal amnesia now transferred to Patel's bogus claims, while he returned to his independent struggles as before. That a rather cheesily predictable final act takes place may have been a bit of a let-down, which was preceded by a couple of unexpected.....insertions, rather than 'turns', one of them bordering on the outrageous. But so what - it's a fantasy film!

To have as director none other than Danny Boyle himself, whose films, even the less successful ones, can never be ignored, is a fine capture, and he rarely reaches for the obvious, keeping up a cracking pace all through. And to complete the twin behind-the-camera achievement, it's a screenplay (and story co-author) by the one and only Richard Curtis ('Notting Hill', 'Four Weddings' 'Love Actually') who only betrays here his sometimes tendency to reach for cloying sentiment in the final minutes.

If you're not as enamoured of Beatles' songs as some of us are I can offer you the slight comfort that none are performed entirely, while many of them are in mere snatches.  

I enjoyed this a lot, its close on two-hours length flying by, largely because we didn't know what would happen next - and we cared!
A nifty and satisfying piece of cinema................7.5.


(IMDb.............7.1 / Rott. Toms...........4.33/5 )



18 comments:

  1. I will definitely watch this one when it comes round. You have helped me understand what the film is as I expected it to be a Beatles tribute and I like the way it's Beatles songs used in fantasy story and I also love the Beatles anyway.

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    1. Tailor-made for you, Carol, as it was for me. You ought to be pleased with it as much as I was. It did what it set out to do and wasn't boring for one instant. Good watching!

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  2. I saw this film last week, and I loved it.

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    1. No doubt that it's a goodie, Michael. One that utilises imagination, a bit too much of a rarity these days.

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  3. I can hardly wait to see this. I've watched the trailer twice...just waiting for it to make it here.

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    1. The trailer represents the whole film well, Elle, which means you're definitely going to like it.

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    2. It has arrived! I am hoping to go tomorrow.

      Have you seen the trailer for the new Judy Garland film? I thought it looked very interesting; such a hard life she had. I did not even recognize Renee Zellwegger...

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    3. Didn't know that there was such a film coming out, Elle. Will investigate. I'll definitely see it.
      Renee Z. already looks so much different now than the way she appeared, say, 10 years ago that any further transformation will render her.....I don't know - a different species? Speaking for myself, I still prefer her previous looks.

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  4. We loved it. And loved the slightly odd bit there towards the end; thinking about it later, that scene makes perfect sense, and is rather lovely.

    Still, I was scared it was gonna be the whole "dream" thing, and was glad it wasn't.

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    1. I wasn't entirely sure the film would 'travel' well, Bob, and pleased to hear that it has. I've been thinking how it could have been improved on to cover what I thought were some weaknesses in the final half hour or so - and I haven't so far come up with anything that would do that. This could well mean that it's best left just as it is.

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  5. I loved it too. Charming and witty with the great music of the Beatles.

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    1. I've yet to read of anyone who regards it as being 'poor', Poppy. It simply isn't!

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  6. I saw the preview a few times. I didn't care to go but I am wanting to know how it ends if he's discovered or goes back in time or what.

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    1. Neither of those, Dr Spo. To say more would be to give it away. Suffice to say that it was more obvious than either and was, for me, the weakest point in an otherwise admirable tale.

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  7. I really need to see this film. "Beatles" was the first word I could write, aged 3. (Presumably I could also write "beat" but I didn't realise it at the time.)

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    1. Crikey, that was a precocious 3-year old, Chris. Can't help wondering if you merely copied the word from an album sleeve, but I'd rather think that you didn't.
      Anyway, do see this film. You'll have no regrets.

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