# Yesterday (2019 film) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 18, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769 "2019-02-18T15:45:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/121 "2019-07-07T06:20:57Z")
The wife and I watched it this afternoon. We thought it very good. Having Lily James as the love interest certainly never hurts either. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/122 "2019-07-07T14:53:32Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Does the movie give a specific point of divergence? Maybe the main character discovers that the Beatles never formed because Paul McCartney died as a child or George Harrison’s family moved away before he could join the Quarrymen? It’s not a big deal if the movie didn’t bother, because this isn’t exactly a rigorous alternate history, but it would be neat if they threw something in. They certainly had the opportunity, during the climactic scene with John Lennon. But they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/123 "2019-07-07T14:54:52Z")
Why would in-universe John Lennon know anything about what happened to the others? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/124 "2019-07-07T15:00:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Why would in-universe John Lennon know anything about what happened to the others? While having a cup of tea, our protagonist says “Hey, John…are you musical? Were you ever in a band?” And he says something like yeah, for a while in high school, but my bandmate got hit by a bus and we broke up. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/125 "2019-07-07T20:32:56Z")
Lennon had clearly gone to sea, and I had the impression it was at an early age. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/126 "2019-07-07T22:29:18Z")
The Liverpool blitz could have easily erased any of the Beatles before they were even born. Their parents were teens during the war John was born October 9, 1940 only two months before the Christmas Blitz. Ringo born July 7, 1940 Paul was born June 18, 1942. George Feb, 43 There was another intense Blitz in May 1941. > **[Liverpool Blitz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_Blitz)** > > The Liverpool Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of the English city of Liverpool and its surrounding area, during the Second World War by the German Luftwaffe. > Liverpool was the most heavily bombed area of the country, outside London, due to the city having, along with Birkenhead, the largest port on the west coast and being of significant importance to the British war effort. Descriptions of damage were kept vague to hide information from the Germans, and downplayed in the newspaper... > [@](#): > > A series of heavy raids took place in December 1940, referred to as the Christmas blitz, when 365 people were killed between 20 – 22 December.The raids saw several instances of direct hits on air raid shelters; on 20 December 42 people died when a shelter was hit, while another 40 died when a bomb struck railway arches on Bentinck Street, where local people were sheltering. On 21 December another hit on a shelter killed 74 people. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/127 "2019-07-08T01:20:52Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Today’s kids know far, far, far more about music 50 years-old than our generation ever did. They know the Beatles, trust me. Hell, the kids in my daughter’s then 8th-grade class went through a _Sinatra_ phase, for God’s sake. Absolutely! Any young person into music has virtually every piece of music ever recorded instantly available to them, and a huge amount of data about the musicians. Back when I was a teen and an obsessed music fan, it could take me month or even years to track down an album, while they just have to search and find it on a music streaming service or YouTube. Here’s something a music teacher friend posted on FaceBook: I had an amazing lesson with a piano student this evening. He said he had gone to see the new film “Yesterday”. We began talking about The Beatles, and I was surprised he knew so much about their music that they went through four “eras” in just seven years; that they were courageous enough to experiment with style and sound that they risked losing their audience; that their lyrics were often multi layered and explored topics previously unaddressed in pop music. He was familiar with their less famous but significant songs. He understood that their cultural impact went well beyond the musical sphere. He shared with me that his great uncle helped George to learn the sitar (the boy is East Indian). This led to a discussion of the history of his native country, helping me to understand more of a place I know little about. We played no music but talked until nearly 9 p.m He is eleven years old. I LOVE my job. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/128 "2019-07-09T04:10:50Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Grade A premise, grade C execution, averages to a solid grade of B overall. Not a masterpiece, but absolutely worth seeing… Just saw the movie tonight, and I’d agree with this, and with most of the rest of your post, **Slacker**. Thanks. I have to say I felt a bit let down by the movie, since I was really looking forward to it, and I’m afraid it just didn’t quite measure up. FWIW, my three sons, two teenaged and one in his early 20s, all know the Beatles’ music well and enjoy it. IMDB’s trivia page for the movie has some interesting background stuff, including that Chris Martin of Coldplay was first offered the part that went to Ed Sheeran - but the Coldplay joke was left in. And the flight attendant who offered Jack champagne is Sheeran’s fiancee! ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/129 "2019-07-10T04:42:50Z")
Isn’t Let It Be in a different key? I found it off-putting. Need a better set of musical ears for this, not sure. And I can’t understand for the life of me why John Lennon didn’t have his characteristic Liverpudlian accent. His bland nothing accent ruined the scene for me ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/130 "2019-07-10T06:41:05Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Just saw the movie tonight, and I’d agree with this, and with most of the rest of your post, **Slacker**. Thanks. I have to say I felt a bit let down by the movie, since I was really looking forward to it, and I’m afraid it just didn’t quite measure up. > > FWIW, my three sons, two teenaged and one in his early 20s, all know the Beatles’ music well and enjoy it. > > IMDB’s trivia page for the movie has some interesting background stuff, including that Chris Martin of Coldplay was first offered the part that went to Ed Sheeran - but the Coldplay joke was left in. And the flight attendant who offered Jack champagne is Sheeran’s fiancee! You’re most welcome and thanks for the feedback! I enjoy being a rank amateur film critic. Interesting trivia. I wish I could remember what the flight attendant looked like. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/131 "2019-07-10T14:38:31Z")
When Alternate John told Jack he needed some psychiatric help, I thought how perfect…or cheesy…it would be if Jack replied,"No, mate, all I need is _love!"_ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/132 "2019-07-11T01:44:22Z")
> [@K364](#): > > …And I can’t understand for the life of me why… He might’ve been a long time gone from Liverpool, or for some reason wished to drop his accent. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/133 "2019-07-11T07:16:15Z")
But the audience shouldn’t be unnecessarily given reason to find him unconvincing. ---
**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2019, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/134 "2019-10-06T07:11:44Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Really liked this movie but one question (and this will only make sense to those who have seen it): was I the only who thought for sure he was going to sing “Drive My Car” at the end? Just saw it last night - and I was thinking the same thing! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/135 "2019-10-06T20:20:09Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > He might’ve been a long time gone from Liverpool, or for some reason wished to drop his accent. I thought he had joined the Merchant Marine, thus had spent his life at sea or at various ports. The real Paul McCartney has a far less pronounced Liverpool accent these days than when the world first heard the _Beatles_, and I’d imagine it has a lot to do with not living there for most of his life. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/136 "2019-11-18T19:32:42Z")
Bumping because I finally saw this and loved it. There were a few missteps that I think could have been better, but on the whole it was an incredibly sweet and fun movie. Things that were great that (I think) no one has mentioned yet in this thread. Kate McKinnon as the agent. The fact that the two people following him who recognized the Beatles’ music were not angry at him for appropriating their music, but were delighted to hear it again. I noticed only one way in which the world was different other than the specific things (Beatles, Oasis, Coke, Cigarettes, Harry Potter) that Jack noticed: part of his promo tour involved playing on Thursday Night Live. I kind of wish they had sprinkled a few more of these throughout, although the Google returning the wrong results gag was perfect and they used it exactly as often as they should have. I am glad they didn’t try to explain why he was in some parallel universe. I think they should have/could have not bothered with the worldwide blackout either. Also, did anyone else think it was weird that he references Harry Potter defeating Voldemort right after they had sex? That is not a good analogy! ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/137 "2019-11-18T23:03:21Z")
I had seen the film in the theater and enjoyed it, but we rented the DVD last month while on vacation which had an alternate ending I found really interesting. Recall that in the film, after the lovers get together, Jack stands in the window and makes a Harry Potter reference. Lily James’ character says “Harry Potter? Who is that?” In the alternate ending, it’s Lily standing in the window and she makes the Potter/Voldemort comparison. Jack, still lying in bed, says “Who’s ‘Harry Potter’?” I like the implication that she was in a world where she was the only one who remembered HP. She could write the novels! I smell a sequel! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/138 "2019-11-18T23:19:51Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > In the alternate ending, it’s Lily standing in the window and she makes the Potter/Voldemort comparison. Jack, still lying in bed, says “Who’s ‘Harry Potter’?” I like the implication that she was in a world where she was the only one who remembered HP. She could write the novels! I smell a sequel! 😃 I thought that was interesting too, although I can see why they cut it. Because the other possibility isn’t that _she_ isn’t the only one to remember Harry Potter, but that his universe with the Beatles didn’t have Harry Potter. Since it’s a little confusing, it’s a lot less clean than the ending they went with. I also liked that he was actually playing the song for her in the alternate ending, but both my wife and I thought that it was super tacky to propose to her in the car, and I bet test audiences did too. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/139 "2019-11-20T14:33:44Z")
Watched it yesterday (heh heh) and liked it mostly. Some very cringe-inducing parts that were painful to watch, like when he plays Leave Me Be for his parents the first time. We watched all the deleted scenes, and the alternate ending, and another case of where they were right to cut every deleted scene. And the alternate ending was just wrong. And unnecessary tension - I kept expecting the Russian dude to shoot Jack, in a parallel to Lennon. (And maybe after he got shot, he’d wake up back in the real world. I’m glad they never returned to normal at the end.) The scene at the beach house was good. But I feel like Jack, waking up in an alternate reality - who is this Ed Sheeran? Is he some superstar? Why? If I woke up today and no one had ever heard of Ed Sheeran, it would have absolutely no effect on me whatsoever. When Jack has a song competition with Ed, both my wife and I said he should have written Her Majesty. It would have been more believable, and funny! (or Silly Love Songs - I like the song, but it has the feel of something written in ten minutes.) I commented to her that, were we in the same situation, it would be much easier to recall McCartney songs than Lennon songs. Forget Eleanor Rigby, unless you’re a Beatles fanatic, can you remember all of I Am The Walrus without help? Goo goo gajoob, baby. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769/140 "2019-11-20T16:33:59Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Honest question though; do you think “She Loves You” would work today as a hit? It sounds very old, outdated if you will. It was revolutionary in 1963, but that was 56 damn years ago. I can’t answer that. But I do remember when I heard my first Billy Joel album, I recognized most of the songs as being ones I’d heard on the radio and assumed were random oldies. Also, you have to presume he’s adding some modern production. Or even just going unplugged can make any melody sound contemporary if there’s no jarringly anachronistic lyrics. I liked this film a lot. If not for the sweet meeting with the nice couple who also remembered the Beatles as payoff, I would have found the whole “is it plagiarism “ side plot distracting and pointless. If you want to do a double feature, I suggest “Blinded by the Light” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesterday-2019-film/829769.md?page=8)