I spent Sunday mostly watching Netflix. But I’m only doing one movie review post. One of the films I watched was Yesterday and that’s the film I’m writing about. Yesterday isn’t a new release. It was in cinemas in 2019. I recall seeing a huge movie poster at Glorietta 4 one time I was passing by. I wanted to watch it then but didn’t want to cough up money for an expensive movie ticket. Remember those days when we could catch a movie on a big screen? I sure miss it! Anyway, for those who aren’t familiar with this film, read on below for the story.

What’s Yesterday?

Yesterday is about Jack, a struggling musician who has an accident during a global blackout. When he wakes up, the world no longer knows who The Beatles are. He sings the band’s songs and rises to fame.

It stars Himesh Patel (Jack) and Lily James (Ellie). It also stars Ed Sheeran (as himself) and Kate McKinnon (Sheeran’s manager).

Scenes I Enjoyed from Yesterday

I enjoyed the film. I can say that much for this movie review. Though it didn’t give me so much of that feel-good vibes like another musical,/romance/drama film I watched, Begin Again, it was still a good watch. Here are some of the things I enjoyed from the movie.

  1. That scene where his friend calls out a request for Jack to “Play the Summer Song!”. He was just coming back to his seat and Jack had just literally played the song. Made me chuckle!
  2. When Jack played Yesterday for his friends. I really appreciated listening to this melancholic song specially as the film really gave it its spotlight. You’d also see the effect of the song on the expressions of his friends who’d had tears in their eyes.
  3. When Jack performed “Back in the USSR” at a crowd in Moscow. The crowd goes wild for him. I could almost feel the high energy! Gosh! I miss watching live concerts!
  4. Jack’s performance of The Long and Winding Road. Another moving performance.
  5. Ed Sheeran’s self-deprecation. “I was always told there’d be someone who came along that was a lot better than me. You’re definitely Mozart, and I’m definitely Salieri,” Sheeran say to him. This is Ed Sheeran we’re talking about and he is one of the most talented singers/songwriters of today! Pretty amusing to hear him say that to Jack, who’s passing The Beatles songs as his own.
  6. Jack’s inspiring talk with John Lennon. Well in this universe, John Lennon lives on to grow old. He’s not killed by a deranged fan. And while John didn’t become part of a famous band, he turned out to have lived a good life which gives young Jack the message that he doesn’t need musical stardom to become happy and fulfilled.

Other Thoughts About the Movie

I didn’t care much about the romance part of the story – Jack and Ellie’s. Don’t think they’ve got chemistry. But individually, I thought Himesh and Lily played their parts very well. Himesh was lovable and funny. Plus he’s really the one who performed the songs and played the guitar. Lily is so cute and adorable as the lovestruck Ellie. She’s his manager and his biggest fan since she heard him sing “Wonderwall” back when they were still students.

Yesterday will not fail to amuse. That scene I mentioned above about the Summer Song remark is just one of the scenes in this film that will make you chuckle. And of course the music! It’s The Beatles! Actually I was drawn to watch Yesterday because of that very reason. My Dad was a fan of the band and he was the one who introduced me to their music. I just know he would’ve enjoyed this film.

Overall, it’s worthy of a watch. Just don’t overthink things.