---
title: "Yesterday"
year: 2019
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/yesterday"
fi1m_id: "yesterday"
imdb_id: "tt8079248"
tmdb_id: 515195
wikidata_id: "Q55076454"
fi1m_score: 60
critics_score: 52
critics_reviews: 29
published: "2026-09-24T04:10:23.103909+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-24T04:10:23.304856+00:00"
region: "BR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Yesterday (2019)

Directed by Danny Boyle · 1h 56m · ClassInd 12 · Comedy, Fantasy, Music, Romance

## Identity

Yesterday

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/yesterday
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** yesterday
- **IMDb ID:** tt8079248
- **TMDB ID:** 515195
- **Wikidata ID:** Q55076454
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8079248/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/515195, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55076454

**Fi1m score: 60** · Critics 52 from 29 reviews

*In a sentence:* The Beatles disappear and somehow the romantic misunderstandings survive

> Himesh Patel’s singing keeps this amiable fantasy afloat. Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis do too little with the forgotten Beatles, and the thin romance makes it one for listeners with modest expectations of the story.

## Synopsis

Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) remembers the Beatles. Everyone else has forgotten them, including Ellie Appleton (Lily James) and Rocky (Joel Fry). When Jack sings “Yesterday”, he is performing a song his listeners do not recognise, from a band they have never heard of. For a singer hoping to become a star, a catalogue nobody remembers presents an opportunity. Jack must work out what to do with the songs he carries in his head, while his relationship with Ellie complicates the prospect of success.

## Review

*Yesterday* is an amiable musical comedy that does too little with a premise worth arguing about. Jack Malik remembers the Beatles in a world that has forgotten them, which ought to leave a singer with more to worry about than getting noticed. Danny Boyle gives the music enough energy to keep us listening, but Richard Curtis’s screenplay settles too readily for a familiar romance. We can enjoy the songs and still wish the film were more interested in what it means to sing them.

Himesh Patel is the strongest reason to stay. We were moved by Jack’s performance of “Yesterday”: the unforced singing makes a familiar song sound as though it matters to the person performing it. There is no need to pretend we have never heard it; hearing someone attend to it this closely is enough. Himesh Patel also gives Jack an awkward, approachable manner that makes the improbable situation easier to accept. The trouble comes when the film expects that likeability to answer questions about what he is doing.

Christopher Ross’s cinematography and Jon Harris’s editing give the musical passages a brisk, uncomplicated ease. That helps when Himesh Patel is singing; it is less useful when the film needs to make us pause over how strange this situation is. Daniel Pemberton’s music struggles to register beside the familiar songs, leaving the Beatles to supply much of the emotional persuasion. The film moves along happily enough, but the music rarely makes us think differently about what we have just watched. A little more space around the performances might have let us question Jack’s good fortune, rather than simply enjoy another familiar tune.

Lily James brings warmth to Ellie Appleton, but the romance gives her too little beyond being someone we are expected to want Jack to choose. Himesh Patel and Lily James are pleasant company together, and that counts for something in a romantic comedy. Yet Richard Curtis leans on their appeal when he needs to give their relationship more substance. We understand that they matter to each other without being given enough reasons to care about the obstacles between them. The fantasy ought to put unusual pressure on this couple; instead, their difficulties could sit comfortably in a story without a single forgotten song.

The missed opportunities extend beyond the couple. The production design by Moin Uddin and Patrick Rolfe offers little sense of how the loss of the Beatles might have changed everyday life; we wanted the world around Jack to provoke questions of its own. The screenplay seems content to assume that these songs would work in much the same way wherever they appeared. That is a convenient way to get a comedy going, but a poor reason to stop thinking about its central idea.

We do not need a lecture on musical history, or a set of rules explaining the fantasy. A few sharper jokes about how people hear music would have done more than another assurance that the songs are wonderful. Danny Boyle finds some of the bounce a musical comedy needs, yet the film seldom risks making its affection awkward or its romance surprising. Once the initial novelty wears off, there is too little comic friction between Jack’s extraordinary advantage and the ordinary business of wanting to be liked. The premise promises more mischief than the screenplay is prepared to allow.

Himesh Patel makes the songs worth hearing again, which is no small achievement. We are less persuaded that they needed this story built around them. Give it an evening only if the singing is enough.

*Fi1m score 60, published 24 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are sharply divided on Yesterday, with a slight lean towards disappointment. Praise clusters around Himesh Patel’s appealing presence and singing, which win over even several critics who dislike the film. The Beatles songs supply much of its emotional appeal, while warmer assessments also find an enjoyable romantic comedy in Patel and Lily James’s chemistry. There is broad interest in the Beatles-free premise, though considerably less agreement that the film does enough with it.

The recurring complaints concern underexplored consequences, conventional romance and a script that relies too readily on affection for familiar music. The spread is wide: some critics find the warmth sufficient, while others see sentimentality covering for thin ideas. The musical treatment itself divides them. Paste argues that Jack’s performance of “Yesterday” makes the song feel new again; Variety finds that the film assumes the songs’ greatness rather than letting audiences rediscover it.

## Straight answers

**Is Yesterday worth watching?**

*Yesterday* is worth considering for Himesh Patel’s singing, but we score it 60 because the story does too little with its forgotten-Beatles premise. We find the musical performances moving and the company pleasant; the thin romance and underexplored fantasy make it one for listeners with modest expectations of the story.

**How long is Yesterday, and what is it rated?**

*Yesterday* runs 1h 56m and is rated 12 by the ClassInd in Brazil. It is a comedy and fantasy film.

**Where can I watch Yesterday in Brazil?**

*Yesterday* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Brazil, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from R$9.90. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Yesterday, and is it suitable for children?**

*Yesterday* has a UK 12A certificate, so children under 12 need an accompanying adult at the cinema. That classification allows material that may be unsuitable for younger children; we cannot give a more specific warning about violence or frightening scenes from the evidence available here.

**How does Yesterday compare to Once?**

*Yesterday* is the lighter fantasy, but we recommend [*Once*](https://film.one/film/once) more warmly for a musical romance that gives its couple convincing feelings as well as songs. Himesh Patel’s singing sustains *Yesterday* despite its thin relationship; *Once* gives its performances room and trusts its two musicians together, though its photography can distract.

**What should I watch after Yesterday?**

After *Yesterday*, try [*Once*](https://film.one/film/once) (2007, Fi1m 88): Two musicians make their feelings audible without explaining every last one of them. Then [*The Purple Rose of Cairo*](https://film.one/film/the-purple-rose-of-cairo) (1985, Fi1m 84): An impossible premise gives a lonely woman’s romantic hopes room to become complicated; and [*The Commitments*](https://film.one/film/the-commitments) (1991, Fi1m 82): The songs have company here: arguments, ambition and the work of becoming a band.

### Reviews we read (29)

- **Radio Times**, Karen Krizanovich (4/5): The review presents the film’s Beatles-free-world premise as brilliant, while finding its execution overly hesitant and familiar. It singles out the tantalising conceit as the film’s key strength. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-exbpev/yesterday/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (4/5): Bradshaw finds the film ridiculous and indulgent but ultimately enjoyable, carried by its energetic comedy and Beatles songs. He praises Himesh Patel’s amiable performance and the songs’ charge, while noting that the plot can be hokey and straightforward. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/05/yesterday-review-the-beatles-richard-curtis-danny-boyle-himesh-patel)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The review calls the film a mind-bendingly corny but peppy fantasia. It singles out the Beatles-erasure premise and the resulting guilt-free musical comedy. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/yesterday-1)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (75/100, inferred): O'Hara finds the film warm, surprising and smart, with a pointed critique of celebrity culture beneath its Beatles nostalgia. She especially praises the stripped-down Beatles songs, while finding the central love story undercooked. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/yesterday-2-review/)
- **Screen Daily**, Fionnuala Halligan (67/100, inferred): The standfirst suggests Richard Curtis’s usual troubles are less apparent in this film. The accessible page does not reveal a specific element singled out for praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/yesterday-tribeca-review/5139029.article)
- **The AV Club**, Jesse Hassenger (C+): The review finds the film likable and hummable but disappointing, as it never ignites the pop fireworks of Boyle’s best work. It praises the energy of the musical sequences, while faulting the film for treating the Beatles as a phenomenon rather than artists with distinctive personalities. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/danny-boyle-stops-short-of-making-a-musical-out-of-the-1835787178)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Matt Zoller Seitz (2.5/4): Seitz finds the film an uneven but appealing romantic comedy. He praises the performances and the emotional appeal of the Beatles songs. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/yesterday-2019)
- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (3/3/2): Jenkins finds the film breezy and amusing but ultimately underpowered and incurious. He praises Himesh Patel’s charismatic performance while faulting the film for discarding its high-concept premise in favor of a conventional romance. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/yesterday)
- **The Independent**, Geoffrey Macnab (3/5): Macnab finds the romantic comedy pleasant but flimsy, with a premise that eventually undermines it. He praises Himesh Patel’s lively performances of the Beatles songs, while faulting the screenplay’s lack of momentum and coherence. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/yesterday-review-the-beatles-danny-boyle-richard-curtis-ed-sheeran-trailer-release-date-a8898481.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (45/100, inferred): Brody finds the film’s premise fascinating but criticizes its conservative framework and flimsy romantic-comedy drama. He praises its enduring idea of artists recovering and restoring forgotten cultural treasures. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/yesterday-reviewed-danny-boyles-comedic-fantasy-about-a-world-without-the-beatles)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (45/100, inferred): Scott finds the film more disappointing than bad, with its Beatles premise unable to sustain its charm. He appreciates the performances but finds the story’s romantic and comic elements underdeveloped. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/movies/yesterday-review.html)
- **Evening Standard**, Matthew Norman (2/5): Norman finds the film entertaining but ultimately weighed down by its silliness and failure to explore its premise. He praises Himesh Patel’s performance, especially his singing and freshness in a familiar role. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/yesterday-review-here-comes-the-fun-not-on-this-unmagical-unmysterious-tour-a4177891.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Jake Cole (1.5/4): Cole criticizes the film for neglecting the implications of its premise and getting bogged down in mawkish romance. He praises Lily James’s bright screen presence, while noting that only the late, unexpected turn hints at a more ambitious film. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-danny-boyles-yesterday-is-a-romantic-comedy-with-a-rubber-soul/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, John DeFore (35/100, inferred): The critic finds the film occasionally enjoyable but ultimately silly and weighed down by contrived romance. He praises Kate McKinnon's entertaining performance, while faulting the script's unimaginative world-building and the film's limited musical reinvention. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/yesterday-review-1207487/)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (35/100, inferred): Gleiberman finds the film cute and watchable but ultimately lacking the Beatles’ magic. He faults it for treating the songs as established facts of beauty instead of creating musical moments that let audiences rediscover them. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/yesterday-review-the-beatles-danny-boyle-1203205141/)
- **Vulture**, David Edelstein (30/100, inferred): Edelstein finds the premise amusing and the first half fun, but says the film falters in its romantic plot and becomes clunky. He praises Himesh Patel’s appealing presence and singing voice, while faulting the musical numbers and the mishandling of the Beatles’ history. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/yesterday-2019-movie-review.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (10/100, inferred): Chang pans the film as an unimaginative, spiritually hollow use of the Beatles’ music. He praises Ed Sheeran’s sly, self-effacing performance as the movie’s strongest element. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-yesterday-review-beatles-danny-boyle-20190626-story.html)
- **HeyUGuys** (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the film utterly joyous and smile-inducing. They especially praise its celebration of Beatles music, human connection and the British summertime. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/yesterday-review/)
- **Paste**, Oktay Ege Kozak (8.8/10): Kozak finds the film an engaging, heartwarming romantic comedy that celebrates the power of great art. He especially praises the scene where Jack performs “Yesterday,” which makes familiar music feel new again. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/yesterday/yesterday-review)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a warm, consistently funny crowd-pleaser that wins viewers over despite a potentially divisive plot turn. Patel and James’s engaging performances and chemistry are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a27355071/yesterday-movie-review-the-beatles/)
- **Film Stories**, Simon Brew (75/100, inferred): The review finds the film warm and enjoyable, despite a plot it considers full of holes. It especially praises the chemistry between Patel and James and their tender train-station scene. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/yesterday-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (3.5/5): The review finds Yesterday a winsome, joyful Beatles tribute, though its romance and ending feel conventional. It praises Himesh Patel’s charismatic performance and the film’s fresh approach to honoring the Beatles’ legacy. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/yesterday-review-the-beatles-movie/)
- **/Film**, Hoai-Tran Bui (5.5 out of 10): Bui finds the film’s clever premise wasted on generic plotting and an uneasy mix of tones. She praises the charming leads and Beatles soundtrack, but says the film’s lifeless musical direction and weak second half squander its potential. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/567315/yesterday-review-a-fresh-gimmick-is-wasted-in-a-generic-musical-comedy/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (C-): Goldberg finds the film constantly disappointing, criticizing its bland romance and failure to make good on its premise. He praises Kate McKinnon and Joel Fry as bright spots, and appreciates hearing the Beatles’ music. [Read](https://collider.com/yesterday-review/)
- **Consequence**, Blake Goble (25/100, inferred): Goble finds the film cloying and disappointing, with too little humor or passion. He especially faults it for celebrating the Beatles without explaining what makes their music resonate. [Read](https://consequence.net/2019/06/film-review-yesterday/)
- **Eye for Film**, Andrew Robertson (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film uninteresting and poorly thought through, despite its good performances. They particularly fault its shallow handling of the alternate-history premise and its regressive solution to how Jack becomes a star. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/yesterday-2019-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)
- **Polygon**, Karen Han (20/100, inferred): Han finds the film deeply unsatisfying, arguing its promising premise cannot sustain a feature and its central romance feels dated and flimsy. She singles out Ed Sheeran’s self-aware performance as the most inventive and entertaining part. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/27/18758562/yesterday-review-beatles-ed-sheeran/)
- **The Ringer**, Manuela Lazic (20/100, inferred): Lazic argues that the film mishandles its Beatles-free premise and reduces the band’s history to marketable nostalgia. She praises the emotional force of Jack’s performance of “The Long and Winding Road,” while noting that its impact depends on viewers’ familiarity with the song. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/06/27/movies/yesterday-beatles-review-himesh-patel-danny-boyle-richard-curtis-john-lennon-paul-mccartney)
- **The Wrap** (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film’s premise underexplored and its execution overly sentimental. They single out Richard Curtis’s cutesy writing and the lack of deeper ideas about how the Beatles’ music would land in the present. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/yesterday-film-review-danny-boyle-beatles/)

## Details

- **Director:** Danny Boyle
- **Director:** Danny Boyle
- **Screenplay:** Richard Curtis
- **Story:** Richard Curtis, Jack Barth
- **Cinematography:** Christopher Ross
- **Editor:** Jon Harris
- **Music:** Daniel Pemberton
- **Production design:** Moin Uddin, Patrick Rolfe
- **Costume design:** Liza Bracey
- **Producer:** Tim Bevan, Bernard Bellew, Danny Boyle
- **Cast:** Himesh Patel as Jack Malik; Lily James as Ellie Appleton; Sophia Di Martino as Carol; Ellise Chappell as Lucy; Meera Syal as Sheila Malik; Harry Michell as Nick; Vincent Franklin as Brian; Joel Fry as Rocky
- **Runtime:** 1h 56m
- **Certificate (ClassInd):** 12
- **Release (Brazil):** 29 August 2019
- **Genres:** Comedy, Fantasy, Music, Romance
- **Budget:** $26 million
- **Box office:** $155 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD6FDkUXSZQ

## Where to watch in Brazil

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent R$9.90, uhd
- Apple TV: rent R$9.90, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy R$29.90, uhd
- Apple TV: buy R$29.90, hd

*Checked 2026-09-24.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Once* (2007), Fi1m 88: Two musicians make their feelings audible without explaining every last one of them. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/once.md)
- *We Are the Best!* (2013): Young musicians discover the pleasure of playing before worrying about being any good.
- *The Purple Rose of Cairo* (1985), Fi1m 84: An impossible premise gives a lonely woman’s romantic hopes room to become complicated. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-purple-rose-of-cairo.md)
- *The Commitments* (1991), Fi1m 82: The songs have company here: arguments, ambition and the work of becoming a band. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-commitments.md)
- *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), Fi1m 92: Another impossible romance, with firmer convictions about why its lovers belong together. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/yesterday