Decent movie that doesn't quite live up to its great premise

Rating: 5/10 (24 June 2019)

Yesterday tells the story of Jack, an amateur musician who is trying to break into the industry with the help of his best friend Ellie, but when he gets hit by a truck riding his bike home one night, he wakes up in an alternate universe where several things have turned out to have never existed, but most importantly the Beatles and their songs. Jack decides to take advantage of this, and uses the Beatles' music to launch his career, becoming the most famous pop star in the world.
That premise sounds great, and I was looking forward to a surreal comedy, but to be honest, it doesn't quite live up to it, instead getting distracted by what the actual main plot turned out to be: a cliche romantic comedy with the childhood friend that is secretly in love with the protagonist, only for him to figure it out for himself later.
The best moments of this film are to do with the central premise of the alternate universe, where Jack would reference something, only for the people around him to say "what's that?" I mean, it's the same joke in different words basically every time, but hey, the way they execute it is pretty good. There are also some decent satirical moments with Jack interacting with the music industry, personified by Jack's manager, and an extended cameo by Ed Sheeran, who falls victim to some self-deprecating jokes, but overall seems to be the secondary 'star' of the show besides the Beatles' music.
Speaking of the Beatles, you'd be surprised by how little they actually contribute to the plot. For a film that is named after one of their more famous songs, you'd think that their music and impact to society would be more than just a plot device for the main character to achieve his success. There's no real commentary as to why the Beatles music is so great, you're just told, over and over again, that they're the greatest band ever, and that a world without them ever existing would suck. Sure, that is something I would agree with, but the film doesn't really add much of their own perspective to that side of the story, it just takes that idea as fact.
The romance is decent, but cliche and overall unremarkable. Screenwriter Richard Curtist definitely knows how to write romances, having written several well regarded romcoms, like Love Actually and About Time, but I would say that Yesterday isn't quite up to that standard. Same goes for Danny Boyle and the other films he directed compared to this. The direction isn't bad, but it's bland and doesn't really add much to the story. There are some weird shots, like some weird dutch angles near the beginning of the story that seem out of place, but nothing else unusual or amazing about the camerawork either.
I guess if you like romcoms and Beatles music, this movie will definitely be watchable, but for me, as a person who doesn't actively seek out that genre, this film didn't stand out to me in either direction, and overall I'm disappointed that they didn't take full advantage of the great premise.