Movie Review: Yesterday

Yesterday is a Modern Hit

By Rachel Rivenbark

Universal Pictures

Going to the movie theater with my girlfriend this past weekend, I found myself very unexpectedly being talked into seeing Yesterday. I’d have gone for John Wick: Chapter 3, personally (I don’t like action flicks, but I would die for Keanu Reeves), but my girlfriend’s family being included in the plans necessitated a last-second change to something a little more child-friendly. ​

As a precursor: I’m a fan of the Beatles. I saw Paul McCartney in concert once, and it was absolutely incredible. I grew up on their music. I - unlike the protagonist of this movie - can remember every word to Eleanor Rigby off the top of my head. But based off of what I’d seen in the trailers, Yesterday by default would have fallen into the category of movies that I’d have waited to see until it came out in Redbox, forgotten about by that point, and then actually watched when it finally worked its way onto public television in a year or two, and I came upon it by accident. It looked entertaining, but not enticing enough to actually be worth shelling out the money to see it in the theater.

That having been said… I actually really loved it.

Although it was largely presented in its trailers as being a comedy, and there were quite a few laughs to be had all throughout the film, I was struck by just how very sad and serious it turned out to be in other aspects. Like many other films surrounding the story of a musician’s rise to fame, Yesterday confronts the ugly realities that come with finding enormous success within the music industry, particularly within a relatively short amount of time. However, quite refreshingly after the emotional heartache that A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Rocketman put me through, it was surprisingly beautiful to see a musician protagonist actually stay quite true to himself and what he wants out of life. 

Instead of going through a period of being changed for the worse, or delving into a self-destructive life of drugs and sex and partying and corruption, protagonist Jack Malik remains very much the lovable, humble, sweet, innocent, and gently flawed man that he was at the very beginning of the film. Looking at him, viewers can see why he didn’t find success in the music industry until he had the hard-hitting force of The Beatles behind him - he’s just an ordinary, unremarkable man, whose worst fault is that he’s honestly a little bit dense. And yet, looking at the world through his eyes and through Himesh Patel’s brilliant portrayal of him, viewers also can’t question just what his love interest Ellie sees in him, and loves so very much. We could all use a Jack or two in our lives, and the world would be a better place for having more of them.

Take some notes, Russo brothers, because this movie is how you handle the delicate art of plot twists. Although every curveball thrown at the audience is predictable in retrospect, each one nevertheless manages to strike audiences to their core in their execution. There were quite a few moments of tension in which I honestly expected things to go very much downhill for Jack, and yet they always managed to eventually be resolved in a beautiful and satisfying manner. I’ll not give any spoilers on what these situations are, but if you think hard about it, you can think of at least one monumental difference that would come about of a world where The Beatles never became famous. A bit of warning: you’re liable to cry when it finally hits, in the movie. I know I certainly did. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a frankly gorgeous soundtrack to go and hunt down. Thankfully, “Hey Dude” isn’t featured on it. I don’t think any of us have the heart for that.