40
Curtis’s twee, nudging, corny comedic voice is very much the main sensibility here, far more so than anything offered by director Danny Boyle or anyone else involved.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
42
This sweet but vacuous exercise in suspending disbelief is an overstuffed and underwritten misfire.
50
Screen Daily by Fionnuala Halligan
Yesterday is a film we’re all familiar with, for better or worse.
90
A glowing tribute to The Beatles and their music, this is both a toe-tapping pleasure to watch and a smart, occasionally scathing look at how we get things wrong.
40
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
Neither a no-nonsense delight like "She Loves You" nor the White Album-style head trip its premise might suggest, it's more of a "Yellow Submarine" sort of film: crowd-pleasing and sometimes enjoyable, but pretty damned dumb when you stop to think about it.
80
Yesterday doesn’t take too many chances, but it does boast a well-told story with a cast that’s game for both its comedic and more dramatic moments.
40
It has a killer premise, yet the movie seems to actively resent its own fantastic idea and just, instead, decided to become a fairly average romantic comedy — only with a lot more Beatles songs than the average rom com.
40
In Yesterday, [Boyle and Curtis] reduce the Beatles to the ultimate product by declaring, at every turn, “These songs are transcendent!” And it’s the fact that they keep telling us, rather than showing us (i.e., with musical sequences that earned their transcendence), that makes Yesterday, for all the timeless songs in it, a cut-and-dried, rotely whimsical, prefab experience.
80
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
Although this film can be a bit hokey and uncertain on narrative development, the puppyish zest and fun summoned up by Curtis and Boyle carry it along.
80
The Telegraph by Robbie Collin
The film has lots of fun with its premise – until America beckons, then suddenly it seems to lose its head of steam. ... Yet it rallies in style for a beautifully judged and surprisingly moving finale.
Not exactly a biographical film of The Beatles, Yesterday presents an interesting take on the band's illustrious discography. Humorous, charming, and slightly emotional at times, this film is a must-watch for anyone seeking a laugh. It doesn't hurt that the soundtrack's all classics too!