Yesterday's Troubles Aren't So Faraway

Hamish Patel as Jack Malick in his movie debut. 

Aspiring musician Jack Malick (Hamish Patel) has the right idea to panic when the whole world suddenly forgets The Beatles. Imagine if your favorite artist or band were erased form history and you're the only person on the planet who remembers them at all. I tremble to think of a world without Weird Al Yankovic. I would do the same as Jack and write down the lyrics to their greatest hits. No help from the internet or albums since they never existed in the first place! Goes to show how well one knows a song.

Recording a song with Ellie (Lily James) 

In the process of preserving the fab four's music, Jack decides to pass them off as his own. It's a slow start but it eventually catches the attention of Ed Sheeran (as himself). In real-life, The Beatles provided inspiration to Mr. Sheeran, but since they never existed, it's only logical that he feels some sort of connection with Jack's music and invites him on a concert tour. It's all what Jack needs as his popularity rises and is given an offer by Sheeran's sleazy producer (Kate Mckinnon) that he's been dreaming for.

Ed Sheeran giving advice to Jack.
A role that was originally meant for Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin,
a joke about the band is kept in the movie.  

It isn't long before the familiar formula kicks in. How long will it take before Jack starts to feel like a fraud? That fame and fortune won't bring him happiness? That Ellie Appleton (Lily James), who stood by his side, was the answer all along?

Kate Mckinnon adding some needed energy as Debra Hammer. 

For a movie with an intriguing concept, it prefers to play it safe as a romantic comedy. An area that screenwriter Richard Curtis is known for as seen with Notting Hill and Love Actually but you have Danny Boyle as director; the man who brought us Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and Shallow Grave. Movies that venture into the dark and hypnotic; blending realism with surrealism as seen when Jack looks on three giant monitors of his new fans, or when he gets nightmares of his secret being discovered.

This could have made for an interesting Twilight Zone scenario while being a karaoke sing-along. The cast give decent performances, but it's the characters and story that are boring and underwhelming. Never taking full advantage of the premise that it's been given. Even with Patel establishing himself as a great singer, we don't get to hear the songs in their full glory except with maybe one or two hits. The movie runs at nearly two hours where The Beatles' own film A Hard Day's Night runs at nearly ninety minutes and played many of their famous tracks in their entirety. Even Mama Mia accomplished that with their ABBA playlist.

Jack on the James Corden show, the second actor to play himself. 

It's only until the end when Jack and the movie realize what made The Beatles' music so special. It's beautiful but by that point it's too little too late.

I would say fans of the Beatles might enjoy this movie, but my mother who is a bigger fan than myself, and not as critical when it when it comes to movies (she enjoyed last year's Bohemian Rhapsody), saw the movie with me and also left the theater disappointed.

Final Verdict: C