Over the last few years, I've expressed a growing appreciation for the musical exceptionalism that is 'The Beatles.' While Classic FM is generally more my bag, I couldn't help but enjoy the wonder of some - not all, mind - Beatles songs. In particular, 'Norwegian Wood', 'Come Together' and 'Yesterday' grabbed my attention. So it was with interest that I went to see 'Yesterday' at the cinema, expecting a musical delight of Beatlemania, songs that would capture why four blokes from Liverpool became one of the biggest, if not the biggest, boy band.
Our main protagonist is Jack Malik (played by Himesh Patel of former EastEnders glory), a struggling singer-songwriter residing in wonderful Suffolk (but not so wonderful Lowesoft). Malik wishes to be a sensation, but pub gigs, poor sets at the Latitude festival and his guitar don't create a winning combination. Managed by Ellie Appleton (Lily James) they traipse everywhere and anywhere, desperate for Malik to become the next big thing. Patel and James effectively represent what must be the struggle of every upcoming cultural performer - be they writer, actor, singer, dancer, painter - in trying to break through by standing out from the crowd. The vast majority, as they willingly admit, fail to achieve fame. The hook of the plot lies around one evening where the entire world, apparently, goes pitch black for 12 seconds. All electricity is lost, artificial lighting gone. Unfortunately for Jack, he happens to be hit by a bus at that precise moment, though (thankfully!) survives. As he gradually makes the road to recovery, he implicitly makes pop culture references to the Beatles before playing 'Yesterday' on his shiny new guitar. There's only one problem. Nobody has any idea who the Beatles are. Indeed, Ellie becomes overwhelmed with emotion listening to the song. She believes its creator, its originator, is Jack. This raises one of the profound moral and ethical questions of the play. What to do with musical content that isn't yours? It is easy for artists to cover other singers; you simply state that the song was written by them. But what if nobody has heard of the group, the most successful in history because of their songs. Jack, seeking fame, decides to take credit for them. Initially, Patel portrays Jack Malik's disbelief that people aren't aware of this group - The Beatles! - at all. How an Earth could they have swept off the face of the Earth? This bewilderment inadvertently turns into success, as crowds rush to celebrate what they believe to be Jack's written talent for music. I must celebrate the number of songs and locations used in the film. While the budget was $26 million, not a massive amount for a film, the director and set designer certainly made it look like they were splashing out. We travelled to L.A, Moscow and Liverpool (where strawberry fields, Penny Lane and the grave of Eleanor Rigby were all visited) as Malik faced the reality of permanent travelling that stardom forces. For greater fans of the Beatles (for I am only an amateur), there were a number of fantastic songs conveying the true emotion. This complimented impressive acting; I nearly burst into delightful applause when both Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar appears as Jack's parents, for they are the definition of classic acting stars. Films must have conflict and challenges in order to retain interest. That is what makes stories work. They are based on disagreement and a protagonist trying to achieve something. Yet, throughout the film, there were relatively few barriers to Malik's success and few consequences when his lies were exposed. Ellie Appleton, despite secretly loving Malik, lets him jet off to America for financial success. The other individuals (Sarah Lancashire and Justin Edwards) who remember the Beatles, don't challenge Malik's plagiarism but instead celebrate it. From Appleton's new partner comes no opposition when she and Malik eventually fall in love, happily wondering off to allow them to be together. Even Malik's god-awful manager Debra (Kate McKinnon) can't stop him when he wants rid of all the perils of fame. Despite the joyful singing, the film finishes with a number of unanswered questions. I like any cultural medium - unless sequels are to follow - to tie everything up neatly. I'm afraid Yesterday did the very opposite. I left the cinema asking all sorts of questions that I expected the film to follow up on...except, it didn't. Why did the world go pitch black for 12 seconds? Why did Jack remember the Beatles? Why did the other two people remember? How did Ed Sheeran have his number? Why did Oasis, Coca Cola, cigarettes and Harry Potter also vanish? How did Jack escape so easily from fame to become a teacher? These questions were constantly whirring in my mind. Perhaps my outcome expectations were too high. I expected some philosophical, even Marxist, critique of capitalist society, its creation of cultural amnesia and our endless obsession with consumerism. The disappearance of such culture showed the world still goes round. In reality, it was an easy sing-song, rom-com assessing the conflict between success and love, fame against one's family. Normally, when people are hit by a bus, it is they who forget things. Yet, on this occasion, the tables turned. Yesterday tries, but ultimately fails, to reveal how someone deals with artistic excellence that eclipses the rest of the world in blissful ignorance.
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