An Interesting Concept Unrealised To Its Full Potential

Rating: Null/10 (15 September 2019)

An interesting concept unrealised to its full potential, Yesterday never truly grasps the places it could've gone with its premise and settles for a half-baked idea that's not allowed to simmer far enough and is further diluted with a half-baked romance. On top of that, it's missing the kinetic flair that's often evident in Danny Boyle films.
The story concerns a struggling musician who ends up in a freak accident during a mysterious global blackout & wakes up in an alternate timeline where The Beatles never existed. After realising that he's sitting on a goldmine, he starts playing their music, claiming them to be his own, and embarks on a journey to fame & stardom.
Directed by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later & Steve Jobs), Yesterday neither entirely digs into the what-if scenario of a world without the Fab Four nor wholly embraces the romance subplot it has going on the side. Boyle struggles in juggling both plots, thus resulting in a finished product that lands far from what the premise promised.
Despite the availability of so many routes to choose from, the film opts for the least interesting one and keeps returning to the romance part it could have done without anyway. Riding on the strength of the all-time greatest band's music, Himesh Patel delivers a fab showcase as the leading man while Lily James & the rest are alright at best.
On an overall scale, Yesterday is severely underdeveloped in plot & characterisation and is nothing more than a hokey rom-com at its core. The Beatles' catalogue does make the ride a bit bright, breezy & bearable but the input from the cast & crew still leaves a lot to be desired. A wasted opportunity of sorts, Danny Boyle's latest is one of his weakest directorial efforts.
While there is absolutely no denying that a world without The Beatles is a world that's infinitely worse, it turns out that a world with this film isn't any better either.