--- title: "Yesterday: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/yesterday/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/yesterday" critics_score: 52 critics_reviews: 29 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): what the critics said Critics' score 52 from 29 reviews: 9 positive, 9 mixed, 11 negative. 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. ## Radio Times — Karen Krizanovich Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-exbpev/yesterday/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 4/5. 5 May 2019. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/05/yesterday-review-the-beatles-richard-curtis-danny-boyle-himesh-patel) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 4 May 2019. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/yesterday-1) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/yesterday-2-review/) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 67/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2019. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/yesterday-tribeca-review/5139029.article) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating C+. 24 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/danny-boyle-stops-short-of-making-a-musical-out-of-the-1835787178) ## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz Rating 2.5/4. 27 June 2019. Seitz finds the film an uneven but appealing romantic comedy. He praises the performances and the emotional appeal of the Beatles songs. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/yesterday-2019) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/3/2. 27 June 2019. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/yesterday) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Rating 3/5. 5 May 2019. 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 the review](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 Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 2019. 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 the review](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 Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/movies/yesterday-review.html) ## Evening Standard — Matthew Norman Rating 2/5. 28 June 2019. 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 the review](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 Rating 1.5/4. 26 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-danny-boyles-yesterday-is-a-romantic-comedy-with-a-rubber-soul/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — John DeFore Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 4 May 2019. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/yesterday-review-1207487/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 4 May 2019. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/yesterday-review-the-beatles-danny-boyle-1203205141/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/yesterday-2019-movie-review.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-yesterday-review-beatles-danny-boyle-20190626-story.html) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/yesterday-review/) ## Paste — Oktay Ege Kozak Rating 8.8/10. 27 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/yesterday/yesterday-review) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 May 2019. 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 the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a27355071/yesterday-movie-review-the-beatles/) ## Film Stories — Simon Brew Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 2019. 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 the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/yesterday-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3.5/5. 6 May 2019. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/yesterday-review-the-beatles-movie/) ## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui Rating 5.5 out of 10. 26 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/567315/yesterday-review-a-fresh-gimmick-is-wasted-in-a-generic-musical-comedy/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C-. 27 June 2019. 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 the review](https://collider.com/yesterday-review/) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2019. Festival review. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2019/06/film-review-yesterday/) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/yesterday-2019-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) ## Polygon — Karen Han Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/27/18758562/yesterday-review-beatles-ed-sheeran/) ## The Ringer — Manuela Lazic Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.theringer.com/2019/06/27/movies/yesterday-beatles-review-himesh-patel-danny-boyle-richard-curtis-john-lennon-paul-mccartney) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2019. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/yesterday-film-review-danny-boyle-beatles/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/yesterday.md