Who doesn’t love The Beatles? Even if they’re not one of your favorites, you know who they are and respect their musical contributions. If you think about it, you can probably manage at least a few choruses of their most popular songs. I’m mostly in that camp. I know the big ones, especially those featured in Across the Universe. I remember playing that soundtrack while driving with my Mom some time back, and she got upset about how “my generation” is “stealing her music”. But what if we lived in a world without those classic tunes?
That’s the basic premise of Yesterday. A failed singer/songwriter (newbie Himesh Patel) wakes up after a freak accident during a strange world wide blackout and realizes he’s the only one who remembers The Beatles (and various other pop culture bits). He seizes the opportunity, passing off as many of their songs as he can recall as their own and he skyrockets to superstardom (with an assist from Ed Sheeran). But can he live with himself and this deception? Plus a side plot romance with his long time bestie (Lily James).
This movie was so charming and delightful and sweet, and it really felt like a breezy summer movie. My heart was so full as I watched this. The sold out auditorium was laughing so hard throughout the entire thing. I was just basking in the glory of the music. I particularly appreciated that there wasn’t much overlap in the song choice with Across the Universe. The Beatles have such an expansive catalog, it’s nice to spread the love around to other corners of it.
I texted my Mom after the movie telling her to watch it. “The songs from my teenage years!” she responded. “And yes you all are still stealing our songs” Welp, might as well be stealing from the best of the best
Yesterday – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/