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Yesterday

2019

Danny Boyle

Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, Ed Sheeran ...

5.9

20,577

Comedy. Fantasy. Romance A struggling musician realizes he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles.

	Media	Author	Review
		Owen Gleiberman Variety	"It's cute and watchable, but it lacks the magic of discovery (...) A cut-and-dried, rotely whimsical, prefab experience."
		John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"Crowd-pleasing and sometimes enjoyable, but pretty damned dumb when you stop to think about it (...) Patel is likable in the lead"
		David Ehrlich IndieWire	"Not even the Beatles can save Danny Boyle’s generic musical fantasy (...) A studio-engineered crowd-pleaser so convinced 'All You Need Is Love' that it loses sight of some other essentials along the way"
		A. O. Scott The New York Times	"It’s appealing and accessible in a way that the Beatles never really were. If it took itself — and them — a bit more seriously, it would be a lot more fun. But it wasn’t made to last."
		Dan Callahan The Wrap	"Curtis and Boyle offer up pretty much what you would expect given this premise, which basically amounts to Patel doing passable karaoke versions of these famous songs and very little else."
		Stephanie Zacharek Time	"A rom-com that’s perfectly charming if you don’t look too closely. (...) a fantasy that works well enough as a Beatles love letter but falls short in the love-story department"
		Sheila O'Malley rogerebert.com	"[It] explores some of the implications of its premise, but, frustratingly, skips over others (...) The film gets caught up in the relationship between Jack and Ellie, which is not all that interesting (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		David Crow Den of Geek	"The homage is well earned and keenly executed in such a winsome package that it has all the markings of the sleeper hit of the summer (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Ryan Porter Toronto Star	"[It] has Beatles songs, but it needs drama — and a better singer (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"A light summer breeze of escapist fun (...) Boyle brings propulsive life to what could have been a static canvas (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald	"An odd couple of film-makers pull off a fantastic premise (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Robbie Collin Telegraph	"It rallies in style for a beautifully judged and surprisingly moving finale (...) 'Yesterday' may be built on the hits of old, but it finds its own genially infectious groove (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"A wacky, winning comedy (...) It is directed with dash and gusto (...) There are lots of laughs and goosebump moments (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Fionnuala Halligan Screendaily	"The raw energy which propelled Boyle’s 'Slumdog Millionaire' has dissolved into the Suffolk cider, but there is still enough to savour here (...) 'Yesterday' is a film we’re all familiar with, for better or worse"
		Ian Sandwell Digital Spy	"[It] is likely to be the crowdpleasing hit of the summer. A large part of this is down to the engaging performances of Himesh Patel (...) and Lily James (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Dave Calhoun Time Out	"Its endless sugar rush of Beatles covers and endearing performances from the likes of Lily James and newcomer Himesh Patel make it hard not to like (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Geoffrey Macnab The Independent	"The remaining real-life Beatles must have approved the film, which at the very least is an excellent showcase for their music. Sadly, though, 'Yesterday' has nothing like the velocity of Boyle’s best films."
		Norman Wilner Now Toronto	"It broke my heart and put it back together again. I hope it does that for you, too (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Andrew L. Urban Urbancinefile	"[It] underscores what every Beatles fan knows: there will never be another phenomenon like it."
		Liam Maguren Flicks	"Its hefty humour and infectious characters will prove a delight for anyone looking to take a date or their parents out for a burly, original, crowd-pleasing night at the cinema (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Wenlei Ma News	"There’s a lot of energy in Danny Boyle’s direction of the early scenes and Patel is very appealing as the lead (...) [But] you’ll wish 'Yesterday' was about 45 minutes shorter (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		DM Bradley The Adelaide Review	"It’s all fabulously improbable and contrived but who cares? (...) In the end, this isn’t about the strained characterisations or the unlikely twists: it’s about the music"
		Tara Brady Irish Times	"Himesh Patel has a wide-eyed charisma; Lily James, although underused, is a delight, and the earnestly-covered songs ensure this is a magical mystery tour worth boarding (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Paul Whitington Irish Independent	"Heartwarming, irresistible film that makes an absurd premise work (...) Patel is brilliant (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Deirdre Molumby entertainment.ie	"It’s winsome and such a lovely, warm viewing experience that it’s impossible to go too tough on it (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Alan Corr RTÉ	"It never loses its surreal heart and sense of absurdity (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

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