“Yesterday”

Director Danny Boyle rarely disappoints (“Slumdog Millionaire”, “127 Hours”), and this effort is no different. I was intrigued by the premise of this film and rushed out to catch it when it opened. Surprisingly few people were in the theater which was fine by me. I am easily distracted!

There are lots of spoilers to be had when reviewing this film so I will be very brief and avoid giving away the fun. The backdrop to the storyline has been widely communicated so in case you haven’t heard it here it is. A worldwide blackout of a few minutes occurs, and our lead character is involved in a bicycle encounter with a bus and ends up hospitalized.

Jack Malik, an aspiring singer/songwriter played brilliantly by Himesh Patel survives the accident and continues to pursue his music career. With the help of his lifelong friend and erstwhile “manager”, Ellie (Lily James), he had been getting a few gigs but little notice. It is then that the magic begins. Jack strums a little tune for some friends and they are mesmerized. They ask if he had written it and he replies of course not. It was written by the “Beatles”. Who? And off we go. No one other than Jack has any recollection of the Beatles and their amazing catalogue of great music spanning decades.

Suffice to say Jack’s career soars despite his protests that this is not his music. The story by Jack Barth and screenplay by Richard Curtis (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Love Actually”) is beautifully told.

There are more than a few surprises throughout, and of course fantastic music. I found myself imagining that I was hearing all of this music for the first time. I couldn’t quite get there, but it sure brought me back to Friday night and Saturday night dances in the mid 60’s when they took the music world by storm and continued to do so for decades.

If you are an early Baby Boomer you are very likely to love this movie. From “I Want to Hold Your Hand” through “Sergeant Pepper”s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and beyond it’s a treat.

Boomer or Millennial, do yourself a favor and see this film. I plan to go again soon.