Yesterday
Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Richard Curtis
Cast: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, Ed Sheeran
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Rated PG-13 | Minutes: 157
Release Date: June 28, 2019

A world where The Beatles do not exist would be a strange one. But it is one small part of the entire premise of the fantastical romantic comedy Yesterday. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, the film explores such a world where only one man remembers the music of The Beatles, and how his life will dramatically change. But underneath such a simple premise lies a sweet love story and a quandary of what would happen if you had all that knowledge yet you knew that it wasn’t truly your work.

Though it may be narratively flawed by not fully exploring an interesting concept and plays it safe at times with the rom-com aspects, Yesterday relies on the direction of Boyle and Curtis’s script – though their voices may inadvertently clash at times – along with Lily James‘ cheery performance to carry the film all the way to end. My full review below.

There isn’t any doubt that The Beatles are the source of inspiration for many music artists today. From “Hey Jude” to “Yesterday” and “Here Comes The Sun” to “Let It Be,” these are just only a few of the many hits the British band has earned throughout their career.

But Danny Boyle‘s latest film, Yesterday, written by Richard Curtis (Love Actually, About Time), asks the question: what if The Beatles didn’t exist, and you were the only person who knew about them and their songs? Would you use that knowledge responsibly or would you use it to gain fame and fortune. That is what we can expect to see in the upcoming music comedy that stars Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, and Ed Sheeran. Check out the trailer below.