Yesterday

Yesterday will seem familiar to anyone who has watched a movie written by Richard Curtis.  If you're not familiar with his name, I'll bet money you are with his work, which includes Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually.  Basically, if you've been on a movie date during the past 25 years, there's a good chance you've seen one of his films.

His latest contains a lot of his favorite elements which he frequently falls back on in his writing.  The main character is usually down on his luck and/or unlucky in love, there is an incredibly sweet or gentle love interest, and the drama revolves around whether or not the main character can work up the courage to be truthful with their feelings.  There are really no bad people in the Richard Curtis Universe.  Someone might be a greedy or selfish person, but they never get what they want in the end.  There's also usually some very witty and smart dialogue throughout, which is not surprising, considering Curtis got his start working on TV comedies like Blackadder and Spitting Image.  If Yesterday feels at all familiar for the writer, he's at least following his best instincts, and gives us a warm, light and funny film that doesn't really feel new, but is still memorable.

The movie does at least have an ingenious hook to anchor it, which imagines what a music industry would be like if The Beatles and their songs had never existed.  But rather than deeply explore this issue, it basically uses it as the basic angle for which to hang a much more conventional romantic comedy plot.  This may be disappointing to some, but the screenplay here is charming and entertaining enough that it didn't bother me.  There's definitely some missed opportunities here, but they don't go so far as to sink the film.  And if this does have to be a fairly common romantic comedy with an intriguing premise that's not fully explored, at least it's one with characters we like spending time with, and some genuine laugh out loud moments as well to make up for it.

Much like his 2013 film, About Time, Curtis throws a Sci-Fi element to liven up his romantic story.  Yesterday starts off by following struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), who spends his days miserable working at a big box store, and his weekends trying to advance his music career by giving concerts that are usually attended only by his four or five closest friends.  His manager/childhood best friend Ellie (Lilly James) is constantly encouraging him to keep trying at his dreams, but Jack is starting to fall into despair and considers quitting his music act altogether.  As Jack contemplates his future while riding his bike that night, the entire world experiences a 12-second blackout, during which Jack is struck by a bus.  When he awakens in the hospital, he has somehow been sent into an alternate version of Earth which is exactly like ours, only certain everyday things don't exist.

We already know from the ad campaign that Jack no longer lives in a world where The Beatles formed as a band and revolutionized music.  But, the movie has fun with the ideas of other things not existing in this world, such as Coca Cola and cigarettes.  Oddly enough, Jack doesn't seem all that interested in how or why he has stepped across the barrier of space and time, or what caused it.  Neither is the movie.  Rather, he quickly latches onto the idea that since the entire music library of The Beatles is non-existent here, he can make the songs his own.  At first, no one seems interested in the music, expressed nicely in a funny scene where he tries to play one of his "new songs" for his family.  But then, he is discovered by a small-time agent with a recording studio (Alexander Arnold), and soon Hollywood comes calling, and he is drawn into the big time by a scheming music mogul (a funny Kate McKinnon). 

It's at this point that Yesterday sort of drops its whole alternate reality concept, and goes for the conventional romantic comedy of Jack realizing that he has deeper feelings than just friendship for Ellie, and whether or not he is willing to give up his sudden fame to be with her.  Again, I will not blame those of you who see this as a giant missed opportunity, as it certainly is.  But, this element is done well enough that it didn't bother me as much as it probably should.  Both Patel and James create enough sparks to carry the picture through any shortcomings.  Patel, in particular, stands out as a great find, considering this is his first film role.  As for James, she finds a certain honesty to a role that easily could have come across as underwritten.  We get what she sees in Jack, and we want to see her return his affections.

Since that is essentially what every romantic story rides on, I have to label this a success.  Yes, it could have been better.  But, so could a lot of movies.  What's here works.  It's an emotional and sweet film that doesn't require a lot of thinking.  In other words, it's the perfect kind of summer escapism that isn't built around superheroes or CG animation.

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