Betles Nostlagia and more

Rating: 9/10 (30 July 2019)

A sweet movie about love, "the poisoned chalice of fame and money", reality (in several senses) and honesty with self and others. And the Beatles' music.
During a balckout (never fully explained, but who cares), Jack Malik (3rd rate struggling musician) is transported to an alternative timeline in which the Beatles never formed a band. He's the only one who knows their music, and he builds a career by presenting their songs as his own. The story ends happily, with a couple of nicely done reveals that (almost) explain what actually happened. Along the way, there are some pretty good covers of Beatles songs (none of them complete, unfortunately), some neat riffs on the evils of fame and fortune, and a love story holding the whole thing together.
Acting: first rate, including the roles of the (inevitable) stereotypes. Cinematography: competent, with no pretensions. Story line: plausible. Writing: very good, its main strength being dialogue that doesn't aspire to Great Thoughts.
Some reviewers think the movie falls over the edge into sentimentality, but I disagree. Go see this movie. If you know and love the Beatles music, it's a nice nostalgia trip. If you're too young to remember the Beatles, you'll realise what you missed. ****