Yesterday

Yesterday – Failed singer-songwriter, Jack, informs his doggedly loyal manager (and childhood friend), Ellie, that he wants to quit. But after a mysterious global power outage where Jack is hit by a bus, he wakes up in a world where no-one but him can remember the existence of The Beatles. He plays as many as he can from memory, and his career starts to take off. But can his conscious accept taking the credit for the work of John, Paul, George and Ringo. And if he ends up in L.A., will he miss what was under his nose the whole time?

Yesterday (2019) – Director: Danny Boyle

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60008745

Rating: 12

Running Length: 116 mins

Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon

Genre: Comedy, Romance

REVIEW: ‘YESTERDAY’

The rom-com is bread and butter for writer Richard Curtis, and when fused with Danny Boyle’s directorial flair and two compelling leads (Patel and James) there is plenty to like in the result. Struggling songwriter Jack, faced with a world that suddenly forgets the existence of the The Beatles, starts making a living from passing off their classic back catalogue as his own. With such a set up, the likability factor is key and Himesh Patel plays the part with very engaging warmth and relatability.

When it comes to the musical element of the story the predictability doesn’t prevent it from being enjoyable. Instead of making Jack more arrogant as time passes, Boyle and Curtis make him feel more and more guilty at taking credit for work that isn’t his. The love story suffers from even more predictability. Lily James is left to play the typical ‘perfect girlfriend material’ role and doesn’t have much character of her own, but the chemistry between her and Patel is so charming that this can be overlooked.

You could uncharitably argue that the appeal of massive hit Beatles songs can wallpaper over the cracks in a somewhat generic movie, but ‘Yesterday’ is testament to the skill of the performers and filmmakers who transform it into a genuine feel good hit. With plenty of laughs, great music, and great performances, ‘Yesterday’ is highly likely to leave a smile on your face!

CONTENT: IS ‘YESTERDAY’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

A character is described as a “lazy, useless, drug taking drunk.”

Jack is cycling when there is a massive power cut. This results in him being hit head-on by a bus which sends him flying through the air, before hitting the ground hard and groaning in pain. He later wakes up in hospital.

Jack discovers that Coca-Cola no longer exists. He uses a search engine to search ‘coke’ and a picture of famous drug dealer, Pablo Escobar, is shown. Admittedly, this isn’t a reference that children are likely to get! Later in the movie Jack is on board an airplane and he asks the stewardess for ‘coke’ causing her to look concerned, before he corrects himself to ‘Pepsi’.

After Jack plays a song for a small crowd in competition with another songwriter, his opponent concedes defeat and says, “Someone should shag him whilst they have the chance”.

There is a verbal reference to ‘perverts and drug addicts’.

One character described a location as ‘shitsville’.

During a scene in a graveyard one characters states that they lost their virginity in a graveyard. However, this is quiet in the sound mix and not very audible.

A male and female character spend some time drinking together. They end up in a hotel room and start to kiss. She laughs at one point saying, “You touched my bottom!”. There is talk of a one night stand.

In expecting oncoming riches one character states they will be “wiping our asses with solid gold”. Later the same woman states that they want someone to “bang me backwards over a Buick”.

One character states a desire to “twice a day love her up like a lusty lion”.

There is a brief moment of dressed intimacy on a bed.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘YESTERDAY’ FOR KIDS?

‘Yesterday’ is a movie with little in the way of unsuitable content for children. There is a smattering of mild bad language and some minor sexual references but to be honest we feel that the line between ‘Yesterday’ being a 12A rating and PG rating is very thin. The humour and tone of the movie is designed for adults and so there may be little to interest children, but purely from a content point of view we recommend this movie as suitable for children aged 7 and over.

• Violence: 0/5
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (Jack and Ellie both have moments of upset but these aren’t long or lingered upon)
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (some kissing in bedrooms but nothing shown)
• Bad Language: 2/5 (mild infrequent bad language)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (some sexual innuendo)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of imposter syndrome, unrequited love, missed opportunities, the power of music, losing your individuality to marketing, and whether or not to give up on your dreams)

Words by Mike Record