Yesterday

Yesterday is ultimately a romantic comedy, but a conceptually complex one, built on a peculiarly reactionary framework of private life and a culturally conservative pop classicism.

What would the world be like today if The Beatles had never existed? Spend a few moments musing on that. If you do, I guarantee that you'll come up with something more interesting than anything in [Yesterday].

Fuelled by the engaging chemistry of its leads and the unflagging wonderment of the music, it zips along. But it can never quite reach escape velocity from the weight of its silliness.

The movie is fun, largely because it proposes that fun is the principal legacy of the Beatles.

The structure is a mess. The characters are plastic. And the lines are Seventies sitcom bad.

Give "Yesterday" credit for taking a sideways approach to honoring the Beatles. But this Boomer fantasy only pretends to dive into a true appreciation of what made the group a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

...an irresistible premise that's employed to mostly entertaining yet somewhat underwhelming effect...

I am so incredibly frustrated by this movie. WHAT A PREMISE! And just NOTHING on the delivery.

Himesh Patel does fine in the role of Jack, who literally falls into this predicament...and can sing, also.

It may be a little early to trot out the old "feel-good movie of the year" designation, but it's going to be tough to beat director Danny Boyle's Yesterday.