Yesterday: If Lennon Had Lived

Spoiler Alert: Don’t read this if you haven’t seen the movie but plan to.

Studio publicity photo.

I went to see the movie Yesterday because I wanted the distraction of a romantic comedy. I didn’t know that it would make me cry.

It’s a movie about love and music. Not any music, mind you, but all the tunes written by the Beatles from Help to Hey Jude. Director Danny Boyle spins a tale that revolves around a mysterious global blackout that totally erases all memory of the Beatles (and of Coke, co-incidentally).

Only one struggling folk singer, Jack Malik, seems to remember the words to the Beatles tunes. First, he struggles to recall the exact lyrics, then he is entertaining crowds with a tender rendition of Let It Be. When Malik meets the singer Ed Sheeran and goes on tour, he is launched on a musical juggernaut.

The Beatles still matter to a lot of us, including these revelers in New Orleans who dressed as the Fab Four on the cover of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Photo by the author.

Enter an evil record industry exec, hilariously played by Kate McKinnon of Saturday Night Live. I couldn’t help but laugh at the outrageous lies and manipulation she uses to get her new client to the top of the charts.

Malik feels the draw of the spotlight and he enters willingly, choosing fame over a chance to love the girl back home.