“CINEMA SATURDAY”
Whether a fan or not, it would be very difficult to deny the astounding genius that is “The Beatles”. A band of four who made their humble start in Liverpool, England only to successfully take over the world with more No. 1 hits and albums sold than any other band or musician that walks the earth today. All of this accomplished without the use of social media…imagine that. Yesterday, we didn’t have social media, yet today we do. Things were far simpler when they hit the scene. They had to rely on record companies to amplify their sound as opposed to the social media platforms that we have today. Today, you can go viral in an instant. Yesterday, one could argue, artists had to be “good”.
Yesterday certainly seems to support that notion as we follow Jack Malik, a struggling musician who gets into an accident as the result of a world-wide blackout. Beaten and bruised from his mishap, he awakes in the hospital to find more is missing in the world than just his teeth: the world’s greatest band seems to have been forgotten and by extension, essentially scrubbed from history all together. No one remembers who “The Beatles” are, except for Jack. Seeing this as a once in a lifetime opportunity, Jack delves deep into his memory attempting to piece together each lyric, riff and chord in order to make his own stab at taking over the world, song by song. Of course it had to be the acclaimed English director, Danny Boyle, who decided to tackle this project, continuing to give us all a taste of his own genius. Our consensus here is that in addition to his instinct as a director, his casting was equally spot on. Jack is played by actor Himesh Patel, and it should be noted that though talented he is as an actor, Himesh played and performed all of the songs that feature into the movie. This is no small thing. It’s safe to say we’ll be seeing more of Himesh in the cinemas following this performance that was not only inspiring but also comical and awkward, as well as being real and true to life at the same time. Himesh though was not alone in this endeavour as his supporting cast did more than enough to earn their nods particularly that of Lily James who takes on the role of Ellie, Jack’s long-time best friend and manager. Ellie seems to be the only person through it all that believes in Jack despite the fact that no one else seems to care for his music (of course until he decides to effectively plagiarize the most successful band of all time). Though their relationship together is somewhat predictable on screen, it’s still subtle enough to keep interest and fun enough to keep everyone engaged. Though everyone in the cast gets their comedic moments to shine, Joel Fry steals those moments and should garnish the award of “worst person at his job ever” or “rubbish” as he would put it; Joel plays Rocky, a ‘roadie’ (or stagehand) who is basically that friend we all keep around even though we don’t really care for them all that much. Still, Rocky is hilariously real and truly harmless, so as a person, he gets a pass. The list does go on, however it’s worth mentioning that superstar, Ed Sheeran, makes his entrance into the film and more than exceeds expectations. It’s always a question of how it will be perceived when either a musician crosses over into acting or an actor crosses over into music. In this case, Ed just plays himself (or does he?) so as an actor, it’s not all that unobtainable. He does prove this, and his brief moments were certainly enjoyable enough to want to see more of when he exited scenes. It should only make sense that he was picked for such a place in the film, as Ed Sheeran is regarded as one of the best songs writers in the industry today indefinitely. If Yesterday is a puzzle, Ed fits in just nicely, and he stays in his lane.
Yesterday is still currently playing in select theatres, so if you have the time, our advice is to go and waste it on this.
Yesterday is still currently playing in select theatres, so if you have the time, our advice is to go and waste it on this. If you’re a Beatles fan, then more than likely you’re going to like it no matter what. Who doesn’t like hearing their favourite songs, especially when they’re covered well and to satisfaction? If you’re not a Beatles fan, have no fear. Because as a film, Danny Boyle shows that he’s still worth his salt as a filmmaker and that HE, truly stays in HIS lane. Miss this at your own peril.
