Yesterday

Yesterday is a romantic comedy directed by Danny Boyle, written by Richard Curtis, and starring Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, and Kate McKinnon. Patel plays Jack, a struggling singer, while James as Ellie is his manager and childhood best friend who try to become the next big singer. After lights from all over the world suddenly turn off for a few seconds and Jack is hit by a bus, the singer wakes up to a world where the Beatles and their songs never existed. Being able to remember their songs, Jack writes and performs the band's entire discography and becomes the next sensation, gaining a new manager and befriending Ed Sheeran. Despite this new found fame, Jack feels empty due to believing that he didn't create the songs himself and realizing he loves Ellie. One thing about the film is that right from the trailer and the story it tells I expected it to end in a very obvious way, but it surprisingly ends in a totally different way that is unique. Curtis's script is well done but a bit of the pacing is very slow throughout it, and the moment Jack gets hit by the bus feels too fast. Sometimes the comedy can either feel forced, occur too often, or are very obvious just before they happen. The performances from everyone involved is definitely really strong, though McKinnon's character is way too over the top at times. Ellie and Jack's relationship and the chemistry between the actors is the most enlightening aspect of Yesterday. Besides his acting, Patel is an amazing singer as shown every time he performs either one of Jack's original songs or one by the Beatles. Danny Boyle tells the story very well, though there are certain scenes where he has the camera in an odd angle that feels unnecessary. Despite only happening four times throughout the whole film, Jack learning what other things were also erased from history is the funniest running gag. It's a well made film with an interesting story but doesn't take full advantage of what it really wants to tell. Over all: 93%

2019 top list so far:
1. Avengers: Endgame

2. Toy Story 4

3. Shazam!

4. Rocketman

5. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

6. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

7. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

8. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

9. Us

10. Aladdin 2019

11. Pokemon Detective Pikachu

12. Captain Marvel

13. Yesterday

14. Pet Sematary 2019

15. The Upside

16. Dark Phoenix

17. Cold Pursuit

18. Glass