Yesterday

The initial euphoria I felt from being able to hear The Beatles’ biggest hits in a romantic comedy, at least indirectly, the very songs that you could not previously hear in movies due to exorbitant licensing fees, has diminished now. Richard Curtis’ 'interesting idea to create an alternative world where a number of cultural phenomena have disappeared (not only The Beatles' music), turns out to be a bit of a half-hearted concept designed to string a number of ideas and jokes together (among them a pertinent jab at the modern trend of political correctness that the name of the legendary White Album is not racist), but in the end we have not found out much about its reasons for this world and its logic, plus how it actually functions. What is more, the muddled screenwriting seems a bit incoherent. Not to mention that there was a substantial intervention regarding the plot during post-production (they completely cut a subplot with Ana de Armas). The romantic storyline is really clichéd, and is simply there to frame the narrative. In addition, the wooden acting of Ed Sheeran had too much screen-time in the movie for my taste. Otherwise, it is, of course, a technically well-executed summer movie, which simply aims to create a feel-good nostalgic mood and entertain, which of course succeeds with most audiences. (23/07/2019)

British culture so sophisticated that even Meky would not get lost in it. Danny Boyle revels in the kitsch written by Richard Curtis, Himesh Patel is authentic and Lily James is utterly endearing (though my heart beats for Kate McKinnon). Lovers of the Liverpool bunch will love it. And Robert Carlyle fans will have their jaws dropped. (11/01/2022)

After the immortal songs of Queen and Elton John, filmmakers resurrected The Beatles, whose equally timeless songs are suddenly almost forgotten. The premise is indeed interesting, and I liked that they made some effort to bring The Beatles and their universe up to date. The lovely Lily James charmed me again and I hope newcomer Himesh Patel appears in future films. I liked the funny cameo of Ed Sheeran, but on the other hand, I still can’t bring myself to like Kate McKinnon. If you look for flaws in the film, I'm sure you can find something, but I was satisfied in the cinema. I was carried away on immortal rock classics, I experienced with the main characters their turbulent relationship and last but not least I was moved and surprised by the participation of a certain unnamed singer who rose from the dead. It's cheesy and plays on the emotions in places, but it's delivered in such an endearing way that I swallowed hook, line and sinker. (07/07/2019)

Danny Boyle has made stronger films, but this likeable and enjoyable musical also has charm. Have you also noticed that they've been ripping it up lately? After Queen and Elton John there's The Beatles, but it's presented in a fairly original way, which is appreciated. I would appreciate it if more than three things disappeared from this world. Himesh Patel is solid and the finale is moving. 75% (31/10/2019)

Such an interesting idea and kickoff from a great duo of English filmmakers that resulted in trivial moralizing about life values and love as the most important thing. What, in my opinion, was most astonishing was the completely unused potential of the Beatles’ hits and music in general. This is not a musical film, even though each and every viewer expects it to be. And the key drawback is the unimpressive lead actor, who is outshined by his character’s girlfriend. Is the overall outcome attributable to the film being a quick attempt to ride on the back of the success of Bohemian Rhapsody? That seems so, as it even panders to the viewer in a similar manner as BR. But in this case, a similar recipe produced the almost opposite result. (26/08/2019)