Yesterday
I just watched the movie “Yesterday” – the romantic comedy about the guy that gets hit by a bus, and wakes up to a world where the Beatles never existed. I'm not going to write a capsule review, because the internet is full of them, but I am going to write about one particular piece of the movie.
Warning – spoilers ahead – if you've not seen the movie, don't read any more – trust me – it's worth not knowing, because it's probably the best bit of the entire movie.
So yes – when the lead character learns that other people remember the Beatles too, I wondered if the journey to the farm in the middle of nowhere might result in Paul McCartney opening the door. I was completely expecting it – and had stayed away from reviews, so had no clue what was going to happen.
It took a few moments to realise – that in the alternate reality of the story, John had never got famous, and was never shot – that he had lived his life in anonymity. It caught me completely off-guard. I just sat and marvelled at how fantastic Robert Carlisle's portrayal of John was. “All the feels”, as they say.
I didn't manage to get my eldest daughter to watch the movie, and I think it's kind of a shame. She loved Rocketman, but drew the line at a romantic comedy. I suppose the last thing she might ever take any notice of is her forty-something Dad telling her that the Beatles were the best songwriters we have ever known – that translates directly to “shit” in a teenage mind – without even listening.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go listen to “Something”, because THEY CUT IT FROM THE DAMN MOVIE! (and if the director ever reads this, the ending was rubbish – he should have sung “Something” to his friend in the crowd, instead of the convoluted rubbish you turned the last few minutes of the movie into).
p.s. Lily James can do no wrong :)