Yesterday

Danny Boyle directs the story of Jack Malik, a singer and songwriter about to give up, who wakes after a worldwide power cut as the only person who remembers The Beatles. The script began as Cover Version, a 2012 screenplay by Jack Barth. Barth’s protagonist reached only modest success with the songs; Richard Curtis rewrote him into the most successful songwriter of all time. That changes the film’s question: not whether the songs alone are enough, but whether Jack can live with the lie. The premise is never explained, and more of the film goes to Jack struggling to recall lyrics than to the rules of the new world. Himesh Patel sings and plays the numbers himself and his vocal is left unembellished. Ed Sheeran’s part was offered to Chris Martin first, who said no. A second love interest played by Ana de Armas was cut entirely after test audiences found it made Jack less sympathetic. The emotional weight lands not at the concert but in the scene with an aged John Lennon, played uncredited by Robert Carlyle. A good fit if you want the songs in Patel’s own unpolished voice and do not need the premise explained. Not for viewers curious about how a world without The Beatles actually works; the film treats that as a joke.