FILM

"Yesterday" Wastes The Beatles' Music with Rom-Com Tropes

All its troubles should have been fixed in rewrites.

Yesterday has a brilliant high concept premise for a movie, one that doesn't require big explosions or visual effects.

The idea is juicy enough to make it a must see. That's why it's so disappointing when Yesterday turns into a worse version of the same romantic comedy we've seen so many times before.

Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is a struggling musician. His songs are only suited for pubs and boardwalks, and he's ready to give up on his rock n' roll dreams. But then, a worldwide blackout occurs and Jack is hit by a bus. He wakes up in the hospital and realizes that nobody else remembers The Beatles. Once he's checked and double checked to be sure he's the only one who remembers their songs, he starts playing them as his own.

This premise raises all sorts of interesting questions. If a different, non-white singer performed the same songs, would he be as successful as The Beatles? If The Beatles debuted now, would they still make it? And what's going to happen when Jack runs out of songs? The Beatles catalog is finite, after all.

But that's not the movie Yesterday wants to be. Jack keeps getting distracted from his ascending music career by his old manager and childhood friend Ellie (Lily James). Ellie has always been in love with Jack, and Jack never noticed. Now that he's finally successful, he only begins to realize he had something greater than fame and money all along, but let her slip through his fingers.

Okay, I guess that's sweet in theory, but it's not the movie the audience came to see. Coming from screenwriter Richard Curtis, it's appallingly pedestrian. The best that the writer of Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Love, Actually could come up with was a take on the Friend Zone? Ellie says Jack "put her in the wrong column." I guess that's the classy British way of saying it.

Ellie is right when she tells Jack he had 20 years to make his move. Ellie has a life that doesn't involve him, has other romantic prospects, and most importantly, Jack is bad for her. At this point, he's actively sabotaging her healthy adulthood. The film should be on Ellie's side, but its sympathies are misplaced with Jack.

If it feels like I'm spending too much of the Yesterday review discussing the romantic subplot, I assure you I'm giving it as much attention as the movie gives it. The fun world building of "what if the Beatles didn't exist?" only appears in hints. Sure, scenes of Jack trying to explain The Beatles to his friends are funny, and Jack and Ellie recording songs in a do-it-yourself studio is fun. But revelations of other things that no longer exist are worth exploring further than the movie does. One trivial example is that, in this world, James Corden interviews one guest at a time. Apparently, if The Beatles never existed, James Corden never did his three guests on the couch schtick either. More likely, the film couldn't afford two other celebrities for the scene.

There are hints that Jack feels guilty about plagiarism, but they're only suggested through Patel's performance, as it's not explicit in the movie. The script only implies that he's afraid of getting caught, that there may be people who know his secret. He does forget some of the lyrics, which is a worthwhile plot point. As famous as The Beatles are, Jack probably wouldn't have an encyclopedic memory of their lyrics. He also tries to throw his original songs in the mix, and of course they pale in comparison to The Beatles. That, too, could have been a worthwhile crux of the story. Would he be happy enough being famous because of other people's songs if he still couldn't get any love for his true art?

But Yesterday wastes most of its time on rom-com shenanigans, right down to chasing Ellie to the train station before she leaves. And the film really wants Rocky (Joel Fry), Jack's incompetent roadie friend, to be endearing comic relief. I'm sure Fry is talented, but he deserves better than being forced to be a version of Rhys Ifans in Notting Hill. The movie focuses on Rocky's bumbling instead of interesting Beatles-centric material.

Richard Curtis writes great romances, but he shouldn't have tried to shoehorn one into a completely different concept. Director Danny Boyle can also do romantic or whimsical tales. as he shown with Slumdog Millionaire and Millions. Frankly, the romance subplot is probably more out of place in Yesterday than it would have been in Boyle's darker previous movies like Trainspotting or 127 Hours. Finally, based on the film's loud, bombastic renditions of The Beatles songs, I think it's safe to say Jack's versions would not have become timeless classics like those of of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

FILM

Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend of June 28

WHY DO THEY KEEP TAKING ANNABELLE OUT OF HER CASE?

Welcome back to "Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend."

This weekend, Annabelle gets taken out of her case again for some godforsaken reason.

WIDE RELEASE:

Annabelle Comes Home

At this point, I've lost count of how many "Annabelle and her Spooky Pals" movies there have been, but here's the newest one, and oh boy does it look spooky! In this one Annabelle GETS A BOYFRIEND?!? Not really, but can you imagine? In reality, the premise is that a bunch of morons take Annabelle outside of her case again, because hey, why would anyone leave the spooky cursed doll (with "DON'T TAKE OUT OF CASE" signs everywhere) in her case? That would be stupid.

Yesterday

Yesterday Trailer #1 (2019) | Movieclips Trailerswww.youtube.com

In Danny Boyle's new musical fantasy, a struggling musician (Himesh Patel) wakes up from a bus accident to discover that he's the only person in the world who remembers The Beatles. Now, with a little help from his agent (Kate McKinnon (do you get my Beatles reference?)), he becomes an international sensation. The premise strikes me as overwhelmingly silly, but I also really love The Beatles. But also, it looks stupid. But also, I kind of like Danny Boyle. But also, Ed Sheeren is in it, so eh. Maybe.

LIMITED RELEASE:

Ophelia

OPHELIA Official Trailer (2019) Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts Movie HDwww.youtube.com

Star Wars' Daisy Ridley stars as lady-in-waiting Ophelia in this female-oriented take on Hamlet. Intended to give Hamlet's lover a newfound degree of agency, Ophelia seems like it might be an interesting film for Shakespeare enthusiasts. But while I like the premise conceptually, nothing about the trailer strikes me as particularly interesting or exciting. The lack of sharp dialogue clips makes me worried that Ophelia might amount to a bland interpretation, even if its heart is in the right place.

The Chambermaid

The Chambermaid – Official U.S. Trailerwww.youtube.com

The Chambermaid is an observational, Spanish-language drama that closely follows a young hotel maid as she works her way through an adult education program in Mexico City. The trailer is surprisingly beautiful, infusing personality into shots of mundane tasks. Initial reviews seem very positive, so if you appreciate good slice-of-life movies and can find it playing near you, I'd suggest seeking it out. The Chambermaid is my PICK OF THE WEEK.

Euphoria

EUPHORIA Trailer (2019) Eva Green, Alicia Vikander Drama Moviewww.youtube.com

I know a terrible trailer when I see one, and dawg, this is it. What is this movie about? What does this trailer tell us? I watched it three times and I have literally no idea why anyone would want to see this movie. It seems like Tomb Raider and the lady from Dumbo go to visit their mom...maybe? At a secret house? And Charles Dance is there for some reason. Everyone is sad. Very sad. Because of pain from growing up, or something? I have no idea, and I kind of don't care. Go ahead and watch the trailer. If you can make sense of it, please, send me your best summary.