Yesterday ** (2019, Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Ed Sheeran, Sarah Lancashire, Alexander Arnold) – Movie Review

Himesh Patel finds himself battling a charmless loser fraudster of a character in director Danny Boyle’s fantasy musical romcom Yesterday (2019). It is really hard to make former teacher, struggling singer songwriter Jack Malik appealing as a man who pretends to write the words and music of all the The Beatles’ greatest hits, in a world where no one can remember the Fab Four. Nobody explains why we are supposed to like, admire or sympathise with this character. But we are. All three.

Too much burden is placed on Himesh Patel to make the character and movie idea work winningly. Patel sings well and is pleasant, but hasn’t got the superstar power to carry the film, which is all on him. He and co-star Lily James do form a good double act, though, with strong rapport and chemistry.

Once the very weird plot kicks in, the pop music business satire is lame, clumsy and unfunny, giving an over the top Kate McKinnon a hard struggle to be amusing as Malik’s pushy new American agent.

However, half a dozen really nice performances from Lily James (sweet as Malik’s long-term best buddy and possible future girlfriend Ellie), Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar (as Malik’s mum and dad), Ed Sheeran (unexpectedly funny as Ed Sheeran), Sarah Lancashire (as Liz the Liverpool Stranger, one of only two people in the world who remember the Beatles) and Alexander Arnold (as Ellie’s new pal Gavin) make the going easy. All of them are either amusing and charming or both.

An inexplicable 12-second global power outage kicks off the plot, a bus knocking Malik off his bike and knocking out his front teeth. Now he he is the only person who remembers Beatles music, so he can nick their stuff freely. The long and winding road eventually leads to the real John Lennon, still alive and well at 78, who tell him all you need is love, and spurs the film’s climax, as inevitable as any romcom’s. This is where this is story is always headed. It is Notting Hill and Love, Actually, but with Beatles songs, which Patel puts over agreeably well.

Richard Curtis writes the story (with Jack Barth) and screenplay, but the idea is not really a winner. It feels dated, a Nineties romcom rehash, a revival of Working Title’s glory days. Danny Boyle directs efficiently, with a few flourishes, but there is not very much that he can do. However, those crazy about romcoms, Beatles songs and the pop music genre may be satisfied.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Movie Review

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