Yesterday

Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, Yesterday follows Himesh Patel’s Jack Malik as he discovers, after waking up from a near-death experience, that he’s the only person on earth who remembers The Beatles – with the film detailing Jack’s efforts at exploiting this knowledge to become a global superstar. It’s an irresistible premise that’s employed to mostly entertaining yet somewhat underwhelming effect by Boyle, as the filmmaker delivers an overlong narrative that’s been crammed with lamentably familiar elements and conventions – with Curtis’ screenplay highlighting some of the most egregious clichés in both the romcom and rags-to-riches genres. There’s nevertheless little doubt that Yesterday benefits substantially from its inherently compelling setup and the strength of its various performances, with, in terms of the latter, newcomer Patel delivering a tremendously charismatic turn that often (and effectively) smooths over the erratic bent of Curtis’ narrative. (And it doesn’t hurt, certainly, that the picture’s been packed with expectedly enjoyable musical interludes.) The surprisingly affecting third act ensures, at least, that the whole thing ends on a comparatively engrossing note, and it’s ultimately clear that Yesterday probably would’ve benefited from another few passes through the editing bay (ie this is not a movie that requires an almost two-hour running time).

**1/2 out of ****