Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Yesterday 

This is a delightful fun film! Yesterday is a loving tribute to the music and legacy of the Beatles and also a very heartwarming Love story that is layered on top of it. Danny Boyle has given a truly enjoyable film here as I love anything Danny Boyle Does and this is one of his most narratively compelling story’s he has ever brought to the screen. When I first herd about this film it caught my attention immediately due to its intriguing premise and I will say this that Yesterday provides one of the most interesting and original ideas I have seen this year as the entire reasoning this film is such a delight is due to the strong narrative written at the centre of it. The film’s story is supported by this love story and its fantastic performances by its entire cast as well. 

First Off, How this film celebrates the music and contribution that the Beatles has had to the world was beautifully showcased in the film. This film begs the question what would the world be like if we didn’t have the Beatles and only one person did. It is a very interesting question to think about and the way this question plays out through the film is amazingly handled as It is a jukebox of greatest hits of the Beatles to enjoy but it also is shows just how big of a impact that Band has had on the world and it also will introduce a new generation that didn’t grow up with the Beatles their music and I think this film is perfect for showing younger audiences who aren’t fans of their music the impact that the Band has had on a global scale and I think we all tend to take it for granted. Yesterday is a fantastic love letter to the Band that will make any Beatles fan smile and appreciate this film as it is a endless celebration of their great music and I admire how Danny Boyle shows it so strongly from the first frame to the last. The Beatles is one of the greatest Banda ever and this film is a gentle reminder of why they have earned that legacy for so long. 

The Story is the best part of the film for me, whoever wrote the screenplay for this film deserves a raise as the sheer brilliance that they wrote jus amazed me. We have seen a lot of sequels and remakes this year and to get something that is truly original is refreshing and Yesterday provides one of the most sharply written and smartly written screenplays I’ve seen this year for sure. It is able to use the Beatles in a smart way that I hadn’t seen before we’ve had films use  Beatles music before like Across The Universe which was in a lot of ways a musical with Beatles music spread out to push the narrative forward. Here the film uses the music as the base for celebrating their legacy and showing their great music throughout the film in a very smart way it shows the impact the music would have it was released in today’s music industry which is a interesting thing to think about. Like would it still be as effective if their music was released today and theirs a lot greatly done undertones used through the film. The film also uses very strongly this love story that they set up from the beginning of the film it easily could of been very forced but due to the great script it felt very natural and authentic also another reason it worked was due to the great actors performances as well. But the script for Yesterday is definitely one of the most compelling and interesting screenplays I’ve seen all year it celebrates the Beatles which layering it with great complexity without becoming complicated. 

The Performances are fantastic in this film also! The two central performances are fantastic Himesh Patel gives his first big screen debut and damn he’s amazing. After you see his performance in this film you are blown away by the fact that this is his first ever onscreen performance. What a amazing first performance to give he brought great dry wit and fantastic range to his performance that was emotionally impactful. Then you have Lily James who plays more of a supporting part in the film she is in it for a good chunk of the film if she had a few more scenes I would qualify her as a lead but here she plays a supporting performance and is terrific in it. She brings the emotional weight to her role and she easily could of played this in a very cheesy and over the top way and she doesn’t she brings this genuine emotionally captivating sense to her performance that is truly wonderful to watch and Lily James gives once again another solid performance. The entire rest of the cast all are great as well contributing greatly to the film with their strong and enjoyable performances the entire cast is brilliant. 

Lastly, Yesterday explores a very compelling premises that will keep you engaged throughout the whole film. It also is a celebration of the Beatles music and legacy so if you love drama comedies this film is for you and if you love the Beatles you for sure will enjoy this film. It is also elevated by its fantastic performances by its central actors Yesterday is one of the feel good films of the year that I can watch again and again. 

When a power outage happens around the world Jack Malik is the only person that knows who the Beatles are and so he sings the songs to reintroduce the world to their music 

Rated PG  - 13 : for suggestive content and language

Himesh Patel : Himesh gives a incredible debut in this film! I have heard nothing about this actor prior to seeing this film and after seeing what he brought to this film I cant wait to see what he does next. He plays Jack Malik who is a struggling artist that really isn’t going anywhere with his music career and then when he’s put with the massive undertaking of reintroducing the world to the Beatles’s music he becomes incredibly stressed as he is aware that those songs aren’t his. Himesh delivers a knockout performance as he goes through quiet the character arc as he shows many layers and sides to his character throughout this film. We get to see his great comedic timing that I think was perfect as he has a very dry sense of humour that blended so well for the moments onscreen. His timing was perfect as he knew when the right moment was to say something or to switch it up he was very effective in his comedic timing. His Dramatic and emotional strengths were also incredibly effective and impactful as well. As when you see the sheer frustration you can see it is eating him up and then he eventually cracks and explodes in rage a few times. You can see the amounting weight that rest on his shoulders and he carries that throughout the film as he knows these songs aren’t his and he takes credit for them and Himesh really steps up to the plate and delivers a crackling performance that shows so many sides and strengths of his which is shown amazingly well in the film. He really gives a fantastic leading performance that gets you to really invest into him and his character arc that Is wonderfully told through the film. For a first ever performance this is a star making performance that is truly dazzling to witness unfold before your eyes. He brought great charisma and the emotional weight needed to deliver this performance so effectively. 

Lily James : James gives another solid performance in this film! To think in 2015 she was just up and coming and now she’s everywhere and I am so happy for her as she’s making quiet the name for herself and has been working so hard over the last couple of years and here gives another emotionally effective performance. She plays Jack’s longtime friend and music manager and is very much the backbone for this film as she also carries quiet a lot in the film that Lily was more then capable to step up to deliver. Lily isn’t in the film as much as I thought she would be but when she is onscreen she demands the screen with her great onscreen presence. She goes through a lot of things emotionally that puts her through the ringer and theirs a handful of emotional scenes that are heartbreaking that Lily delivers amazingly well and is so damn effective as she seemed so genuine and emotionally raw onscreen and you just feel for her and then the way she would deliver her dialogue would impact you because she brought such meaning and life to her dialogue. Lily really gives one of her strongest performances to date with her work in this film as her dramatic strength in the film is amazing to watch. She peels back so many layers of herself and delivers an emotionally demanding performance that is captivating. 

Danny Boyle : Boyle gives solid direction on this film. The Steve Jobs filmmaker gives amazing work here. Danny injects such life into this film with great charm and charisma. He brings the elements of drama, comedy and music and was able to capture all three of those tones and mix them together and bring a great result. As he uses the script and the narrative at hand to really paint the frame in amazing ways onscreen. Danny had a great sense of when to switch things up he knew when to let the comedic moments just run Wild but then would hold back when he needed to and let the dramatic elements have its time in the film to he balances the tones evenly one not outweighing the other. He also captures beautifully his ability to give a love letter to the Beatles and giving people a fun time at the theatre. Danny always has told intriguing story’s and this another great one as Its a music driven drama comedy with a great sprinkle of romantic themes as well that is well shown. He also gets great performances out of his cast and brings great undertones through the film as well of the sense of if you took credit for something that wasn’t yours and the stress of that and how it would eat you up and it is realistically showed through the film. But he also shows the great under tone that all we need is love which is message right from the Beatles which felt quiet fitting and Danny Boyle has once again crafted another truly entertaining fun film John Lennon and George Harrison would of loved it Danny.