I am not a great one for going to the cinema these days. I used to be. I always loved going to the cinema. Or at least what the cinema used be like. Don’t get me wrong. The 2019 cinema experience is awesome; big comfy seats; amazing sound; smoke free; and all the rest of it. However, some of the people that frequent cinemas nowadays leave a lot to be desired. Okay, back when I was a regular cinema patron there was always the odd punter who would spoil it for the people who were sitting within their vicinity but nowadays it seems harder to find an area of the theatre that doesn’t have some sort of bamstick within spitting distance. There also seems to be more ways in which they can be annoying or distracting to people round about them. And they never seem to give a toss. Some feel it necessary to drape their feet over the back of seats despite the room they are given. With some bringing in what can only be described as inappropriate food and drink. Others continue having phone conversations or watching/listening to YouTube (???). Albeit before the main feature kicks off. However when you do see that glow across the darkness during the movie it suggests the attention span of one of these patrons has been breached – face in hands emoji. And don’t get me started on the price. It’s not cheap these days. Is it? I despair for young families with kids that want to go to the movies. I fear that these may not be genuine complaints on my part. It might just be that I am old and I am grumpy? I’ll leave you to decide.
Having said all that, a couple of weeks back I went to to see the latest Danny Boyle offering Yesterday. There is so much nostalgia doing the rounds at the moment for people of my age. Having been influenced, directly or indirectly, as a wee boy, I would have to say I have always been a Beatles fan. So coupled with the fact I have found many of Mr Boyle’s past offerings to be thoroughly enjoyable experiences, especially the feel good Slumdog Millionaire, this was always going to be a film I wanted to see at the “pictures”. I imagine Danny Boyle to be a regular guy who just happens to know how to make a really great movie. He’s only a few years older than me, so I was intrigued to see what he could do with the Lennon/McCartney back catalogue, coupled with a script from the very talented Richard Curtis who isn’t too shabby when it comes to writing fictional comedy. The combination of John, Paul, Dan and Dick should surely make this a fab film.
We have had a few back catalogue soundtrack based movies of late. From the Mama Mias to the Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman. Actually that may be it! Although I think the trailers advertised a Bruce Springsteen movie, which actually looks good. Also during the trailers prior to the main feature there was a coming soon “one night only” Sing-a-long-a-Rocketman”. Oh my Lord. I can think of nothing worse than going for a night out to the pictures and singing along with a bunch of strangers, many of who will no doubt be out of tune, singing the wrong words and at the same time spraying a mixture of nachos and jalapeños all over the show as they belt out Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.
The plot for Yesterday has us believe that after a strange 12 minute, global, paranormal occurrence everyone, with the exception of the lead character Jack Malik, has had the Beatles erased from their collective memory. It would appear that no one on the entire planet knows of the phenomenon that was The Beatles. No one has ever heard a song penned by Lennon and McCartney. Cue a frantic montage of scenes where our erstwhile hero tries to remember and transcribe every Beatles song he can think of. He then get noticed by Ed Sheeran (yeah that one). Who ends up being his mate and takes him on to support him on tour. And with the assistance of YouTube the struggling songwriter suddenly has the opportunity to become an internet sensation. Overnight. Which helps. For as well as taking us from his small hometown on the Norfolk coast to Russia (Back in the USSR) to LA to Liverpool (Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and, Eleanor Rigby‘s grave. Who knew that there was even such a place? Not I.), back to LA, back home to a beach concert at Gorleston-on-Sea, and finally to a full house at an Ed Sheeran concert in Wembley Stadium, the film has to somehow squeeze in a story of hard luck, lost dreams, unrequited love, good guys, bad guys, the love of friends and family, deceit, redemption, and then finally true love. And all of this in a mere 116mins.
The premise is maybe a tad weak and been done in many guises over the years, and you could have driven a big yellow submarine through the holes in the plotline, but it was always going to give Messrs Boyle and Curtis some scope to run riot with. There are many references, many not that subtle, that Beatles aficionados could, and would, feel quietly smug about in the darkness of the cinema. They could then enlighten lesser Beatles fans afterwards with: see that bit when Jack flies into Liverpool did you notice that the sign says Liverpool Airport and not John Lennon Airport as it is named today, or; if you look carefully at the scene when Jack meets John Lennon (a nice wee cameo played by Robert Carlyle), they sit and chat on an upside-down rowboat, did you notice the boat was called “Imagine”. Or my particular favourite… without the Beatles there is no Oasis. The band not the drink.
A strange thing happened to me when Jack sings Yesterday for the first time on the new guitar bought for him by his best pal and love-interest Ellie played by Lily James (who is absolutely delightful and gorgeous). I felt a welling up in my chest and became all dewie-eyed. I swear I thought I was going to cry. Bizarre, but Danny Boyle genuinely made me feel, just like Jack’s friends, that I was hearing it for the very first time. Really bizarre.
I saw a couple of reviews that were mixed. I can probably make a guess at the age of the reviewer by the comments made and whether or not they liked it. One reviewer condemned it because “yet again there was no real leading roles for women”. Sigh…
When I came out of the cinema I quickly found my Beatles albums on my iPhone, selected The Beatles 1962-66 – the Red Album and had my own personal sing-a-long-a-yesterday. So did I enjoy the film? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Laughing emoji! I’m sure some wise cracking hack has used that at some point in a review. Anyways I thought it a delightful wee RomCom, that I am sure will stand the test of time and come Christmas it will get repackaged for the pressie market with yet another resurgence in Beatles music. Which considering the music is over 50 years old just proves that quality does stand the test of time. Doubt we will be getting a movie with Ed Sheeran’s back catalogue in 2050.
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