"Yesterday" is a "Twilight Zone"/Beatles variant: for me, a tailor-made treat.
Directed by Danny "28 Days Later" Boyle and scripted by Richard "Mr. Bean" Curtis (from a concept co-conceived with Jack "the Simpsons" Barth), "Yesterday" centers on an aspiring, Clacton-On-Sea musician, Jack Malek (portrayed with everyman charm by Himesh Patel). During a global blackout, Malek gets hit by a bus (ouch!) and awakens to a world where no one has ever heard of the Fab Four (not to mention Coca-Cola and cigarettes).
Though there are initial hints that a cultural alteration has occurred, it becomes ever more evident, when Malek performs "Yesterday" to his friends, who praise his moving composition. When he corrects them with attribution to Paul McCartney, they express ignorance. Malek then comes to terms with the gravity of the circumstance.
In a desperate effort to share the Beatles' greatness with the oblivious masses, he performs their tunes to anyone who'll listen, but in so doing, receives accolades galore and reluctantly accepts credit for their work.
Malek's childhood friend, Ellie Appleton (Lily "Cinderella" James), a sweet-hearted teacher, lends support, falling ever deeper in love with the songster as he ascends the charts, with a little help from bumbling gofer Rocky (Joel "Game of Thrones" Fry), music producer Debra Hammer (Kate "Ghostbusters" McKinnon) and singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, who plays himself.
Wonderment and guilt track Malek, but he comes to discover that there are others who remember as he does. This makes the surreal set-up all the stranger, but also gives tender closure to this alternate-reality, "magical, mystery tour".
In addition to experiencing Patel's wonderful covers, what I adore about "Yesterday" is how the songs click with its intent. As others digest the Beatles' genius for the first time, we're reminded how their songs have touched our lives. From this, we realize how we may have taken such for granted, as if these caring creations were always meant to be.
This, in turn, encourages us to consider other things that matter: loved ones, sunny days...all those special luck-of-the-draws that come our way. It's easy to complain why our lives aren't richer, but if the things we appreciate most were ever taken from us (if we never had the chance to seize them), think how poor we'd be.
"Yesterday", as it plays through Malek's awestruck eyes, captures this message with remarkable empathy. Malek's relationship with dear Appleton is but another compassionate case in point: an essential motif that ideally ties to the Beatles' legacy.
I'm grateful to "Yesterday" for its loving, resonating lesson: a great concept, great music...great entertainment.
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