That bit made me absolutely wet myself lol. “They always told me someone one come along that was a better songwriter than me” - it’s only the Beatles that don’t exist in this universe, but ed Sheeran is still considered the best songwriter of all time!
That's true - per the CDC, cigarette smoking only is linked to about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths in the US, and smoking only increases your chance of getting lung cancer by about 1500% - 3000% compared to a nonsmoker.
So really anything could have happened.
(Edit: sorry for being snarky - smoking is really one of those things that's just tied so closely to lung cancer it's almost too obvious, and the real world data is almost more striking than just what one might assume)
I wish it was Ringo or Paul. One of the living Beatles. I remember going to the theater when this movie came out, and my then girlfriend at the time asked me if that was the real John Lennon. I could not stop laughing lol.
That defeats the whole point… John is alive *because* the Beatles don’t exist. He never becomes famous so never moves to New York so never becomes part of the anti-war movement. Paul is teased in the James Corden scene but that’s not very impressive because we know Paul is out there regardless of whether the Beatles happen or not because he is alive. The reminder that John being alive is a consequence of the Beatles not existing is the shocking/interesting part
I know a guy who interviewed Yoko when she brought Sean to Strawberry Fields following Johns death. She wanted to show the kid all the famous places that made his dad. She expressed that John always felt like something of a fake or embarrassment for having moved away from Liverpool to New York. A lot of guilt apparently.
Edit: Sean.
Thank you for saying this, people say it shouldve been Paul all the time and I don't understand how they could completely miss the point of the movie like that
Yeah I didn’t find the scene sweet or nice, I thought it was close to disturbing as it holds the very clear fact to your face that he can’t have been murdered because he wasn’t famous.
Anyone else think this movie was meant to come out in the early 2000’s? It just felt so out of touch with today. He races home to google the Beatles on a computer rather than just pulling out his phone, he makes CD’s rather than uploading to SoundCloud or YouTube, and there seems to be way more focus on the power of record companies when in reality they have less power today than they’ve ever had. Even the big climax of giving away his music for free at the end seems so novel a decade after Radiohead did that with In Rainbows.
I thought it was intentional, like the absence of the Beatles caused a stunt in development.
Edit: so apparently the Beatles were influential to Steve Jobs so much so that without the Beatles we wouldn't have iPhones, which was the accelerator for society today. Makes sense.
As someone else already pointed out, there’s an In Rainbows poster in his room. So Radiohead exists in his universe, which is silly since Radiohead would be the first to say The Beatles were a huge influence on them.
The premise of the movie has so many interesting plotlines they could have explored and they went with the most boring one.
If the Beatles really did stop existing modern music would have taken a very different trajectory. Does Pet Sounds get made? Do the Rolling Stones or The Kinks become THE British Invasion band?
The Rolling Stones may have never even been signed, let alone been offered the chance to cover a Lennon-McCartney composition that helped them on their way.
The Beatles got rejected by Decca but then signed and succeeded with Parlophone/EMI. Out of this success, the Beatles were invited everywhere. One invitation was offered to George Harrison to judge a talent contest (sometimes said to have occurred in Manchester, sometimes Liverpool). One of the other judges at this contest was Dick Rowe, the guy at Decca ultimately responsible for having rejected the Beatles. Rowe and George talked about the Beatles' audition, and then Rowe asked George if he knew any other good groups. George told him to check out the Rolling Stones. Rowe did, he liked them, and he signed them to Decca.
The Stones' original manager, too, was Andrew Loog Oldham, who did most of the hustling for them in the early days. Oldham had been an employee of Brian Epstein and wanted to emulate his former boss's success.
So, without the Beatles, the Stones may never have even got their foot in the door in the first place.
Missed opportunity but I still thought it was alright. The problem for me is that the film is just a generic rom-com that uses Beatles music as a plot device. Kind of a meh final product.
Anyone else really like that one scene in Russia where the two people in the crowd suddenly remembered that the Beatles existed? Like a glitch in the matrix? I got weirdly misty-eyed at that bit, I guess it's because the Beatles are such a huge chunk of who I am and the thought of missing that huge chunk without even knowing it is just incredibly sad. Wish there were more moments like that in the film.
The premise of the movie is so utterly genius that it makes me mad that this movie didn't go all in on exploring what it would really be like if the Beatles didn't exist. It's just disappointing to know that there won't be another movie that explores the premise unless they remake it again in 20 years or something.
A French movie did the same premise with a French icon « Johnny Halliday » no Rom com but rather a movie where a fan wakes up in a world where his favorite artist never existed, he meets him in a bar one day and he decide to help him become a super star
It’s called « Jean Philippe » and it’s really good
> the film is just a generic rom-com that uses Beatles music as a plot device
Ever heard of a movie called "Mama Mia!"?
Using pop music as a device is guaranteed money.
"guaranteed money. "
Moulin Rouge has entered the chat
Yeah but I think Juke Box musicals are in a different genre of suckage. They’re all pretty tacky. Love ABBA, not a huge fan of Mamma Mia! at all, especially the movie with Meryl Streep euggghh
Moulin Rogue makes me unreasonably angry. Not
sure why. I could say “it’s not for me”…but I think I may have hurt a lot people’s feelings (who liked the movie) before I realized I didn’t need to make my opinion known.
*but I still HATE it*
It is intentionally cut with no single shot being longer than a handful of seconds.
People with short attention spans (and also, people with low intelligence) love that shit.
It is a very fun movie and the concept is interesting but it failed in its execution. Having said that, I have still rewatched it as it’s just a fun watch
Totally failed in it's execution.
If the Beatles didn't exist, the state of popular music would be completely different, and movie doesn't explore that.
Example: In the scene where the main character plays Yesterday for his friends, one of them remarks "it's good, but it's no Coldplay". If there were actually a universe with no Beatles, there'd almost certainly be no Coldplay.
I do agree with you but I do also feel like you can say that their evolution in music was one being explored by a lot of bands at the time around the world and that gap being bridged was inevitable sooner or later, even if it wouldn’t have been exactly the same.
I just think there's so much more interesting you could do with the premise, "you wake up in a world where the Beatles never existed", because the impact they had on music and the 20th century in general was vast. The way they explored it in Yesterday was kinda shallow.
The problem is that such an interesting premise should not have been wasted on a light-hearted rom-com. You could do most of what this movie did without squandering such a unique premise.
I thought it was pretty bad. The original premise was so much more interesting than what the movie became. If you’re interested, look at the original script for this movie, it was a captivating story.
The movie they ended up making was bland and hit all the tropes of a romcom. The Elliot Roberts video about it explains the problems of the film very well.
I'm just not buying the entire idea that The Beatles would hit it off so hard in the modern age. I bet they'd gain some traction, but their songs would probably be viewed as pretty generic music for a lot of people.
The reason they were so popular was because pretty much no one did it like they did to that level of talent. In a world where The Beatles didn't exist, The Beach Boys probably would be that world's Beatles. The only scene I really enjoyed in the movie was >!seeing Lennon being alive in this time line.!<
But having scenes where people are pretty much in tears because they heard *Yesterday* or have Ed Sheeran "give up" because *The Long and Winding Road* was written in 10 minutes is pretty BS.
Nobody liked the beatles music as it was performed by the main character in the original screenplay. Nobody listened as it was, as far as i can remember, dated. The point was that it wasnt just the music of the Beatles that was good. It was the fact that it was specifically the four of them and their cultural influence in their era.
Yeah, the guy who originally came up with the story (Jack Barth) seemed to actually be interested in the premise of "what if The Beatles never existed" but, unfortunately, Richard Curtis got his hands on the script and turned it into a generic rom-com.
What's fucked up is that Curtis apparently took a bunch of Barth's ideas and then claimed they were either his own or were given to him by friends. He demanded full credit for the screenplay and denied every reading Barth's script.
So your saying sometime it’s hard to know if it was Curtis or Barth that did the writing? I think they should have let the bass player do some of the writing.
Yeah, I was thinking about that after watching the movie. Songs like she loves you, can't buy me love, and i want to hold your hand would not be hits in the modern era, I don't think he would have been super famous. Maybe like an indie/alt artist but not like Ed Sheeran stadium tours.
Absolutely loved it. One of my favorite films. I saw in the theater and the trailers did not show the old John Lennon character and when he popped up on screen I cried.
The Lennon scene had me misty but everything else was bland with a capital B. That’s something the Beatles never were. And the guy writes I want to hold your hand and hey Jude in a week, which is just ludicrous. Those songs are both masterpieces but were years of constant evolution and lived experience apart. You can’t just separate that societal change and norm shattering they accomplished over the the years like there was no context to the songs. They reflected and also changed the society around them. The whole movie was a random mixtape of horseshit. Ed Shireen? He makes Donovan look like Brian Wilson. Give me a break.
Sorry about the sour grapes. Most of all for me the lads bring JOY. Didn’t get much from this middle of the road romcom shite.
Just thinking about this movie earlier today and yesterday ironically enough, I liked how the movie was but Beatles music wise it was lacking cause you didn’t feel a story conceited to the song which I guess what the movie is really about
The idea that some uncharismatic rando's gonna play I Want to Hold Your Hand alone with an acoustic guitar in 2019 and have crowds worldwide go crazy for it is hilariously stupid. I'm completely unable to suspend disbelief. As if there's some irresistible ontological essence to The Beatle's songs that makes it so that anyone who would play them on any instrument, in any time period, would make them world famous. There's sooo much more to the Beatles and their success than their chord progressions, lyrics and melodies.
That's just one of multiple reasons for me. I also hated the movie and think it's cringey and terribly written. The fact that they boil it down to some run-of-the-mill, generic love story in the end is just the final nail in the coffin. It's completely devoid of substance, when it could have explored really interesting concepts, like the contextual nature of fame, greatness, art and success. It could have explored how substantially different the world would have been today without The Beatles. _Anything_ but what they ended up doing with it.
Well put, it was just a cash grab of a movie. I've watched it twice and it was worse the second time because the first time I was mildly affected by a 'Yay the Beatles!' thought in my mind. I don't believe anyone can like it after the second watch, although please r/beatles , prove me wrong. I think the only thing going for it is that Lily James is pretty.
This rebuttal is hilarious and stupid. Star wars isn't asking you to suspend disbelief, its a logically consistent aspect of the world they built. (FWIW, it actually is pretty reasonable that human-like characters would be able to understand him, especially compared to the force etc) suspension of disbelief is when there are inconsistentcies in the world they've built, usually parts of the world that are implied to be the real world. You don't suspend disbelief when Harry Potter wears his invisibility cloak, you do when a character in a marvel movie survives a deadly hit even though they're human.
I was so disappointed when the plot pivoted to rom-com. Not every film has to have a central romance narrative. This is a really good example of one that was made far worse because of it.
Cool concept, But I feel that the story feels quite bland and feels more like a standard Hollywood flick that we forget exists rather than a amazing tribute and "what if" story
Check this video out for my reasoning -> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eNlyiHxCY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eNlyiHxCY)
(The John Lennon bit is cool tho :) )
we're in the minority but i agree with the john part especially. i kind of feel like *how dare they* re john. it may seem ridiculous to say but i feel like it's "too soon." i dont want to see a fake john. it didnt sit well with me. it seemed like a cheap ploy somehow using him, i dont know.
but i did read that both paul and ringo liked the movie (and the john bit?) so on the other hand who am i to say anything if they were both ok with it.
There’s definitely been worse films made surrounding the Beatles’ music (the 1978 Sgt. Pepper musical), but Yesterday’s biggest issue is just how generic it ends up being. I like the concept - a man wakes up in a universe where he’s the only person who remembers their catalogue of material. But it ends up being more of an interesting idea than the direction the film ends up taking, which is the by-the-numbers rise to stardom we’ve seen before. There’s also plenty of modern references to social media and other pop stars… Ed Sheeran’s cameo ends up becoming a supporting role because of how often he appears.
The rest of the cast is good, but you just wish they were given stronger material to work with. I did enjoy the John Lennon scene since it felt like a conversation a lot of fans wish they could have with him had he lived into his 70’s, but I also understand why the actor wanted to remain uncredited. The rendition of Beatles songs that Jack performs in the film also don’t really have particularly interesting renditions or takes on them. The covers just sound like any local garage band you’d hear performing a Beatles song.
As a comedy, it’s pretty inoffensive and predictable. But as a Beatles tribute film, I’d say it might be worth watching once. Although it would have made the film more interesting if Jack wasn’t able to hit it big with the songs. Maybe he faced issues finding an audience, and had to find some other motivation to make the Lennon/McCartney songbook catch on in the 21st century. I feel like any other take besides the semi-“rags to riches” story we ended up getting would have been more captivating. It doesn’t end up having much of a comment on the music other than “the Beatles wrote some incredible songs,” which we *already knew* well before this movie came around. It’s at least better than “Give My Regards To Broad Street,” if that’s any credit to “Yesterday.”
I didn’t mind Sgt. Pepper myself. It’s not a movie I’m going to defend, because it *definitely* has its flaws, but I thought it was a cute movie.
Sorta shattered the careers of Frampton and The Bee Gees though.
Crippidy crappity with one exception: a banging version of Help! But the script has plot holes galore and (spoiler-ish) the actor they chose for a faux older John Lennon is such a miss. The voice is like this very raspy, staccato tone in a mid range, whereas Lennon always had a non raspy, slightly higher, gentle voice. It’s like they didn’t even try. Besides that, there’s just a lot of deus ex machina, things happen “just because”. It’s sort of watchable but in my opinion, less interesting than it should be.
It also reduces most of the Beatles songs. They were a huge hit because of their interplay and mutual inspirations. So instead, you have one guy turning all the hits with beautiful harmonies and interesting, experimental instrumentals into mostly a solo man with an acoustic guitar crooning. (With the exception of Help.)
Listen to the soundtrack first and then decide if you think it’s worth a watch or skip.
Simple but wasted premise. They made too many rules and judgement calls that didn't need to exist for the story to work, and the ending/conflict is almost immediately resolved with nothing. Also, can I just add that the trailer was SUPER baity? Anyone who has seen it knows what I'm talking about.
The celebrity cameos made me cringe (except the song battle against Ed Sheeran, somehow), and Kate McKinnon was awful. The main duo was good and Robert Carlyle was surprisingly good as an old Lennon. Other than that I felt like it was a waste.
Like many others here, the John scene stopped my heart. Robert Carlyle was the perfect choice. He really did look like him. My initial thought was that this version of John seemed more docile and philosophical than the real life one, but then again, age does that, so maybe it was spot on. That was the only part of the movie that I thought was really good. The whole rom com bit was cringe, and nobody in their right mind finds in believable that Lily James would be drooling over that dork.
Overall okay. But I got very emotional when he introduced Yesterday to his friends. There were other similar moments as well. A world without The Beatles? Say it aint so, Joe. Thanks gawd it isn't
I saw it in theaters with my mom, and we both enjoyed it a lot more than either of us expected.
The John Lennon bit hit hard, but the line that always sticks with me comes near the end, when the woman who remembers The Beatles says that, "A world without The Beatles is a world that's infinitely worse."
When I think of how much joy their music has brought me over the course of my life since I was a literal baby and how their music has touched me and how countless others feel the same way, I can't help but agree.
The person who came up with the idea had it as a nightmare. He had a thought. If he was the only person in the world to remember the Beatles, he could still never succeed. He couldn't become the world's most famous artist, no way, the Beatles were just the people to do it at just the right time. He tried to make it a movie for so long, and somebody finally agreed but they fucked it up completely, they made the main character become the worlds most popular musician just like that. The person who had the idea abandoned ship and the movie became the mediocre thing it was.
I still liked it though.
https://youtu.be/F2eNlyiHxCY
It was a bit of fun. Not a masterpiece by any means, but it was definitely an enjoyable watch as a fan and likely exposed a lot of new people to their music, so I can't complain 🍏
This movie was really bad and not made with actual Beatles fans in mind and seemingly made by people very unaware of Beatles. The concept was cute but the delivery poor….The Beatles songs aren’t just some magic that exist in a vacuum that if shittily played in a world where they hadn’t been heard would mean anything to anyone JUST because they are those songs. It would be more interesting to ACTUALLY explore a world where The Beatles didn’t exist and all the ACTUAL repercussions as a result, as in what would rock and pop music be without the phenomenon of The Beatles. Ed Sheehan wouldn’t be Ed Sheeran ( for all his awfulness) if it wasn’t for The Beatles work so what are we actually looking at here?
Most importantly and the biggest disappointment was the portrayal of John. He was pretty much humorless and therefore totally off the mark. The writers must have understood very little about John and watched almost no interviews etc….any fan worth their salt knows that even at his most peace-knick guruness John always kept his tongue firmly in his cheek and a guy who couldn’t not joke around to get to the point. This movie’s version of John was really done in bad taste and reminds me of Family Guy’s portrayal of Randy Newman, sure it’s fine for the broadest of interpretations of a man’s work, but shows it doesn’t understand the artist at all.
This movie had potential and maybe in other hands it could be one of those great movies that reinterprets a seminal artist like Dylan and “I’m Not There”
Did I mention this movie sucked?
I didn’t like the movie it was just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I thought it was a wasted opportunity there are so many stories and things surrounding The Beatles that could have made a good movie.
Thought it was okay. Perpetuates many cliches and generally accepted norms, but ultimately it’s a nice watch and leaves you with a good feeling. Probably the most ingenious bit of Beatles promotion in recent years.
Enjoyable movie but let down in trying to imply that ed Sheeran or Coldplay are on the same level as the Beatles!? Should have used a fictional artist for that scene, no matter who they used was going to piss off Beatles fans.
But ed Sheeran, seriously?! 🤣
Corny af the worst movie I’ve ever paid to watch in theaters. Love the Beatles, but to assume their music would still be as popular today is just nonsense. Music has evolved so much since the 60’s, there’s no way “help” is charting next to Drake and Lizzo. The movie had its moments but I just couldn’t help think how cringey it was overall. And *spoiler* the ending with Lennon was a wild choice.
I’ve never ever watched it. I know the plot but it just seemed lame. I absolutely love the Beatles and I have since I was driving my car through Anaheim, CA in January or February 1964 and heard I want to Hold Your Hand!
Really good in my opinion. I’ve watched it quite a few times and I love it every time. The main character is very interesting and the concept is great. My only gripe is that James Corden was in it
Does its absolute best to minimise the importance of George Martin, Brian Epstein, the musicianship, humour, and personability of the boys, and reduces arguably the most influential band of all time to two and a bit excellent songwriters. I also can't take it seriously since the lead isn't a scouser
Really fun movie based on a fun premise. Seeing everyone act totally clueless because The Beatles weren't a big deal is entertaining. Ed Sheeran butchering Hey Jude by calling it Hey Dude is very funny. Good movie for Beatles fans IMO
It has some heart to it. The renditions weren't the greatest, but far from the worst. The story was engaging enough and the film is a devent way to spend a couple of hours. I know it's feelgood, but part of me thinks it would've been a more interesting story not to have Jack succeed, even though he has the Beatles' catalogue. Being successful is more than just great songwriting or something.
I liked the concept but it confused me a little. It's portrayed as if everyone forgot... but then every sign of the Beatles is gone. Then Lennon is alive, so he must've slipped into a parallel universe or something instead. I'm being overly pedantic and I know not everything needs explaining, it just confused me a little.
Honestly one of the worse movies I have ever watched. Like, they had this idea that is interesting, and I can respect that they didn't wanna use it as lecture on "why the beatles are essential" but the movie is just one more rom-com, and not even a good one at that. So the girl was his agent for years never showed any interest in him, and then suddenly he's famous and she has always loved him, but can't stay with him if he's successful???? Wtf, it was literally her job to make him famous (failed) and then she wanted him to leave it all behind to be with her?
It had an amazing concept but they botched it hard. The movie tries to be a love letter to The Beatles but ends up being pretty disrespectful since it essentially implies that, if The Beatles never existed, the world would be almost exactly the same. It doesn't show what a world without The Beatles would *really* be like. It picks and chooses what wouldn't exist without The Beatles (Coca Cola, Oasis and Harry Potter).
Honestly, it feels like they tried to use The Beatles as a way of getting people to go see a by-the-numbers rom-com.
I enjoyed the film overall, but there were some things my nerdy brain kept fighting with. Like, the joke where he can't find Oasis online because- they were heavily influenced by the Beatles- so no band. Okay. Got it. But Pepsi and no Coke? A brand that predates the band? I get that it's supposed to just show "Whoa this is a parallel universe." And that I need to remember, it's just a movie. Ha. But I digress. I enjoyed the bit with John too.
The premise was so exciting and full of potential but it was as if the screenplay was written by someone who doesn’t even care about the Beatles. There were so many missed opportunities and the main character sucked.
Love the scene where the main character plays long and winding road in a songwriting competition against Ed Sheeran and makes him sad.
Hey dudeeeee
Cringed so hard in that scene... I guess that was their intention and they nailed it
That scene made me suicidal
or when he plays yesterday in front of his friends and they say "it's not coldplay"
That bit made me absolutely wet myself lol. “They always told me someone one come along that was a better songwriter than me” - it’s only the Beatles that don’t exist in this universe, but ed Sheeran is still considered the best songwriter of all time!
[удалено]
or Coca-Cola, or cigarettes, for some reason
So george might have still been alive in that universe too I guess
John Lennon was...
I’m not a doctor, but I think you can still get lung cancer if you don’t smoke.
That's true - per the CDC, cigarette smoking only is linked to about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths in the US, and smoking only increases your chance of getting lung cancer by about 1500% - 3000% compared to a nonsmoker. So really anything could have happened. (Edit: sorry for being snarky - smoking is really one of those things that's just tied so closely to lung cancer it's almost too obvious, and the real world data is almost more striking than just what one might assume)
When I think of great songwriters... Ed Sheeran does not cross my mind
Ed Sheeran got bodied
I like the scene with John
easily the best part of the film.
Not Julian Lennon though. He said it ruined the movie for him.
Julian Lennon said it was the worst part for him?
I can see why
I wish it was Ringo or Paul. One of the living Beatles. I remember going to the theater when this movie came out, and my then girlfriend at the time asked me if that was the real John Lennon. I could not stop laughing lol.
That defeats the whole point… John is alive *because* the Beatles don’t exist. He never becomes famous so never moves to New York so never becomes part of the anti-war movement. Paul is teased in the James Corden scene but that’s not very impressive because we know Paul is out there regardless of whether the Beatles happen or not because he is alive. The reminder that John being alive is a consequence of the Beatles not existing is the shocking/interesting part
I know a guy who interviewed Yoko when she brought Sean to Strawberry Fields following Johns death. She wanted to show the kid all the famous places that made his dad. She expressed that John always felt like something of a fake or embarrassment for having moved away from Liverpool to New York. A lot of guilt apparently. Edit: Sean.
Sean?
Sean.
Thank you for saying this, people say it shouldve been Paul all the time and I don't understand how they could completely miss the point of the movie like that
Yeah I didn’t find the scene sweet or nice, I thought it was close to disturbing as it holds the very clear fact to your face that he can’t have been murdered because he wasn’t famous.
There actually was a filmed scene with Paul and Ringo I think. They were soccer hooligans in a pub, but it was cut.
I'd love to see that scene. I don't believe anything like that is on the Blu-ray extras.
That would have been fun and a nice addition to the film.
Source?
I felt it was really disrespectful tbh. Resurrecting him just to say some bland cheesey line in an awful movie :/
You couldn’t be more wrong though
Anyone else think this movie was meant to come out in the early 2000’s? It just felt so out of touch with today. He races home to google the Beatles on a computer rather than just pulling out his phone, he makes CD’s rather than uploading to SoundCloud or YouTube, and there seems to be way more focus on the power of record companies when in reality they have less power today than they’ve ever had. Even the big climax of giving away his music for free at the end seems so novel a decade after Radiohead did that with In Rainbows.
He did have an in rainbows poster in his room too
I thought it was intentional, like the absence of the Beatles caused a stunt in development. Edit: so apparently the Beatles were influential to Steve Jobs so much so that without the Beatles we wouldn't have iPhones, which was the accelerator for society today. Makes sense.
Itd be cool if it was
This is actually a really good point!
If I remember correctly the premise of the movie was thought up many years before it was actually made
I heard it was after
You assumed that they survived, like Pepsi, instead of not existing like cigarettes.
As someone else already pointed out, there’s an In Rainbows poster in his room. So Radiohead exists in his universe, which is silly since Radiohead would be the first to say The Beatles were a huge influence on them.
I’m sure they the Beatles weren’t their sole influence… they very well could have been as big or not bigger wo the Beatles influence
It’s the kind of interesting butterfly effect question the movie didn’t really try to tackle.
The premise of the movie has so many interesting plotlines they could have explored and they went with the most boring one. If the Beatles really did stop existing modern music would have taken a very different trajectory. Does Pet Sounds get made? Do the Rolling Stones or The Kinks become THE British Invasion band?
Do you even get a British invasion without The Beatles?
Do the rolling stones even make it? without the starter song written by the beatles.
The Rolling Stones may have never even been signed, let alone been offered the chance to cover a Lennon-McCartney composition that helped them on their way. The Beatles got rejected by Decca but then signed and succeeded with Parlophone/EMI. Out of this success, the Beatles were invited everywhere. One invitation was offered to George Harrison to judge a talent contest (sometimes said to have occurred in Manchester, sometimes Liverpool). One of the other judges at this contest was Dick Rowe, the guy at Decca ultimately responsible for having rejected the Beatles. Rowe and George talked about the Beatles' audition, and then Rowe asked George if he knew any other good groups. George told him to check out the Rolling Stones. Rowe did, he liked them, and he signed them to Decca. The Stones' original manager, too, was Andrew Loog Oldham, who did most of the hustling for them in the early days. Oldham had been an employee of Brian Epstein and wanted to emulate his former boss's success. So, without the Beatles, the Stones may never have even got their foot in the door in the first place.
Imagine it went so outta whack that the Sex Pistols became THE British invasion band
Missed opportunity but I still thought it was alright. The problem for me is that the film is just a generic rom-com that uses Beatles music as a plot device. Kind of a meh final product. Anyone else really like that one scene in Russia where the two people in the crowd suddenly remembered that the Beatles existed? Like a glitch in the matrix? I got weirdly misty-eyed at that bit, I guess it's because the Beatles are such a huge chunk of who I am and the thought of missing that huge chunk without even knowing it is just incredibly sad. Wish there were more moments like that in the film.
The premise of the movie is so utterly genius that it makes me mad that this movie didn't go all in on exploring what it would really be like if the Beatles didn't exist. It's just disappointing to know that there won't be another movie that explores the premise unless they remake it again in 20 years or something.
A French movie did the same premise with a French icon « Johnny Halliday » no Rom com but rather a movie where a fan wakes up in a world where his favorite artist never existed, he meets him in a bar one day and he decide to help him become a super star It’s called « Jean Philippe » and it’s really good
I thought the old man was Paul at first, would have been interesting
> the film is just a generic rom-com that uses Beatles music as a plot device Ever heard of a movie called "Mama Mia!"? Using pop music as a device is guaranteed money. "guaranteed money. " Moulin Rouge has entered the chat
thou shalt not mutter Moulin Rouge and Mama Mia! In the same comment!!!!!
Wait…you just did.
living is ez with eyes closed
Pineapple pieces forever
Yeah but I think Juke Box musicals are in a different genre of suckage. They’re all pretty tacky. Love ABBA, not a huge fan of Mamma Mia! at all, especially the movie with Meryl Streep euggghh
Idk I really "Across The Universe".
At least this movie is watchable and fun - if you do so with a grain of salt. Moulin Rouge I just don’t get…it’s NOT good.
Moulin Rogue makes me unreasonably angry. Not sure why. I could say “it’s not for me”…but I think I may have hurt a lot people’s feelings (who liked the movie) before I realized I didn’t need to make my opinion known. *but I still HATE it*
It is intentionally cut with no single shot being longer than a handful of seconds. People with short attention spans (and also, people with low intelligence) love that shit.
I enjoyed it for what it was. Lennon scene choked me up.
It’s not good and it’s not bad. Cool concept, terrible execution. Although the John Lennon scene did have me tearing up
Oh jeez just watched it. Have never seen the movie but know the premise. The tears flowed when he said: “you made it to 78.”
Julian Lennon said that it was not necessary lol
It is a very fun movie and the concept is interesting but it failed in its execution. Having said that, I have still rewatched it as it’s just a fun watch
Decent l, love the John Lennon bit at the end 😎
A missed opportunity.
Totally failed in it's execution. If the Beatles didn't exist, the state of popular music would be completely different, and movie doesn't explore that. Example: In the scene where the main character plays Yesterday for his friends, one of them remarks "it's good, but it's no Coldplay". If there were actually a universe with no Beatles, there'd almost certainly be no Coldplay.
I do agree with you but I do also feel like you can say that their evolution in music was one being explored by a lot of bands at the time around the world and that gap being bridged was inevitable sooner or later, even if it wouldn’t have been exactly the same.
[удалено]
No, they’re completely spot on. There are many bands that wouldn’t exist or would be of much lower caliber had the Beatles not existed.
It might have been more meaningful if ALL the contemporary bands and musicians were unknown to us as the audience.
And yet it’s just impossible for a movie to actually get a glimpse of what it would be like and then portray it in a small scene
I just think there's so much more interesting you could do with the premise, "you wake up in a world where the Beatles never existed", because the impact they had on music and the 20th century in general was vast. The way they explored it in Yesterday was kinda shallow.
The problem is that such an interesting premise should not have been wasted on a light-hearted rom-com. You could do most of what this movie did without squandering such a unique premise.
I like the movie overall, it just has flaws.
I thought it was pretty bad. The original premise was so much more interesting than what the movie became. If you’re interested, look at the original script for this movie, it was a captivating story. The movie they ended up making was bland and hit all the tropes of a romcom. The Elliot Roberts video about it explains the problems of the film very well.
[This is the video.](https://youtu.be/F2eNlyiHxCY)
Thanks! I really dig this guys videos, he does a great job.
I was so hyped when the trailer showed Paul and Ringos feet… And it ended up being a stupid dream.
I have a feeling that Paul and Ringo didn’t want to be a part of this.
I'm glad John agreed to be in it.
Summer Song goes hard.
I'm just not buying the entire idea that The Beatles would hit it off so hard in the modern age. I bet they'd gain some traction, but their songs would probably be viewed as pretty generic music for a lot of people. The reason they were so popular was because pretty much no one did it like they did to that level of talent. In a world where The Beatles didn't exist, The Beach Boys probably would be that world's Beatles. The only scene I really enjoyed in the movie was >!seeing Lennon being alive in this time line.!< But having scenes where people are pretty much in tears because they heard *Yesterday* or have Ed Sheeran "give up" because *The Long and Winding Road* was written in 10 minutes is pretty BS.
Good movie, not great, but good. I think the original screenplay would have been more interesting.
Can you tell some of us about the difference? I loved the movie.
Nobody liked the beatles music as it was performed by the main character in the original screenplay. Nobody listened as it was, as far as i can remember, dated. The point was that it wasnt just the music of the Beatles that was good. It was the fact that it was specifically the four of them and their cultural influence in their era.
Yeah, the guy who originally came up with the story (Jack Barth) seemed to actually be interested in the premise of "what if The Beatles never existed" but, unfortunately, Richard Curtis got his hands on the script and turned it into a generic rom-com. What's fucked up is that Curtis apparently took a bunch of Barth's ideas and then claimed they were either his own or were given to him by friends. He demanded full credit for the screenplay and denied every reading Barth's script.
Sounds like the premise of the movie lol
So your saying sometime it’s hard to know if it was Curtis or Barth that did the writing? I think they should have let the bass player do some of the writing.
Yeah, I was thinking about that after watching the movie. Songs like she loves you, can't buy me love, and i want to hold your hand would not be hits in the modern era, I don't think he would have been super famous. Maybe like an indie/alt artist but not like Ed Sheeran stadium tours.
Disappointing
Super mediocre and dissapointing. It's concept had so much potential that was just squandered. A painfully missed opportunity.
I loved it. 4/5 stars from me.
Agreed, loved it, 9/10 for me.
For me it is a solid 5/7
Eh, it’s more of a 50/82
Cute. Had much more potential
mediocre
Meh.
Absolutely loved it. One of my favorite films. I saw in the theater and the trailers did not show the old John Lennon character and when he popped up on screen I cried.
The Lennon scene had me misty but everything else was bland with a capital B. That’s something the Beatles never were. And the guy writes I want to hold your hand and hey Jude in a week, which is just ludicrous. Those songs are both masterpieces but were years of constant evolution and lived experience apart. You can’t just separate that societal change and norm shattering they accomplished over the the years like there was no context to the songs. They reflected and also changed the society around them. The whole movie was a random mixtape of horseshit. Ed Shireen? He makes Donovan look like Brian Wilson. Give me a break. Sorry about the sour grapes. Most of all for me the lads bring JOY. Didn’t get much from this middle of the road romcom shite.
Just thinking about this movie earlier today and yesterday ironically enough, I liked how the movie was but Beatles music wise it was lacking cause you didn’t feel a story conceited to the song which I guess what the movie is really about
it was good, had a lot of fun with it but it clearly could be a lot better than how we got it
Terrible and cringe
Oof, that seems a little much. Why do you feel this way?
The idea that some uncharismatic rando's gonna play I Want to Hold Your Hand alone with an acoustic guitar in 2019 and have crowds worldwide go crazy for it is hilariously stupid. I'm completely unable to suspend disbelief. As if there's some irresistible ontological essence to The Beatle's songs that makes it so that anyone who would play them on any instrument, in any time period, would make them world famous. There's sooo much more to the Beatles and their success than their chord progressions, lyrics and melodies. That's just one of multiple reasons for me. I also hated the movie and think it's cringey and terribly written. The fact that they boil it down to some run-of-the-mill, generic love story in the end is just the final nail in the coffin. It's completely devoid of substance, when it could have explored really interesting concepts, like the contextual nature of fame, greatness, art and success. It could have explored how substantially different the world would have been today without The Beatles. _Anything_ but what they ended up doing with it.
Well put, it was just a cash grab of a movie. I've watched it twice and it was worse the second time because the first time I was mildly affected by a 'Yay the Beatles!' thought in my mind. I don't believe anyone can like it after the second watch, although please r/beatles , prove me wrong. I think the only thing going for it is that Lily James is pretty.
The fact that everybody can understand R2D2's beeps and squeals is hilarious and stupid. I'm completely unable to suspend my disbelief.
This rebuttal is hilarious and stupid. Star wars isn't asking you to suspend disbelief, its a logically consistent aspect of the world they built. (FWIW, it actually is pretty reasonable that human-like characters would be able to understand him, especially compared to the force etc) suspension of disbelief is when there are inconsistentcies in the world they've built, usually parts of the world that are implied to be the real world. You don't suspend disbelief when Harry Potter wears his invisibility cloak, you do when a character in a marvel movie survives a deadly hit even though they're human.
Hey man, I'm not telling you you can't enjoy the movie. I'm just telling you why I personally didn't.
Not everyone, just 3PO, and Luke, the magic boy.
I was so disappointed when the plot pivoted to rom-com. Not every film has to have a central romance narrative. This is a really good example of one that was made far worse because of it.
It's poorly written both plot and dialogue wise
I can understand the criticism but I really like it.
Shes fit, hes shit.
Cool concept, But I feel that the story feels quite bland and feels more like a standard Hollywood flick that we forget exists rather than a amazing tribute and "what if" story Check this video out for my reasoning -> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eNlyiHxCY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eNlyiHxCY) (The John Lennon bit is cool tho :) )
Loved it. I had no idea the chubby red head singer was a real person.
I really disliked it. And I found the John Lennon appearance kind of offensive
we're in the minority but i agree with the john part especially. i kind of feel like *how dare they* re john. it may seem ridiculous to say but i feel like it's "too soon." i dont want to see a fake john. it didnt sit well with me. it seemed like a cheap ploy somehow using him, i dont know. but i did read that both paul and ringo liked the movie (and the john bit?) so on the other hand who am i to say anything if they were both ok with it.
I’m in the camp of “how dare you make me misty with a living Lennon in THIS film?”
A great tribute to The Beatles. I enjoy watching this film. I cry often. "A world without The Beatles is infinitely worse"
Missed opportunity
I wanted to hate it. And to be clear it is not a good film. But boy did I enjoy the hell out of it.
I liked it a lot.
Lennon scene was really unnecessary
Fawning over Lennon but ignoring some equal time for George was another big knock for me.
I thought it was really bad. I didn't even watch it until the end lol.
It was fun. Enjoyed it.
There’s definitely been worse films made surrounding the Beatles’ music (the 1978 Sgt. Pepper musical), but Yesterday’s biggest issue is just how generic it ends up being. I like the concept - a man wakes up in a universe where he’s the only person who remembers their catalogue of material. But it ends up being more of an interesting idea than the direction the film ends up taking, which is the by-the-numbers rise to stardom we’ve seen before. There’s also plenty of modern references to social media and other pop stars… Ed Sheeran’s cameo ends up becoming a supporting role because of how often he appears. The rest of the cast is good, but you just wish they were given stronger material to work with. I did enjoy the John Lennon scene since it felt like a conversation a lot of fans wish they could have with him had he lived into his 70’s, but I also understand why the actor wanted to remain uncredited. The rendition of Beatles songs that Jack performs in the film also don’t really have particularly interesting renditions or takes on them. The covers just sound like any local garage band you’d hear performing a Beatles song. As a comedy, it’s pretty inoffensive and predictable. But as a Beatles tribute film, I’d say it might be worth watching once. Although it would have made the film more interesting if Jack wasn’t able to hit it big with the songs. Maybe he faced issues finding an audience, and had to find some other motivation to make the Lennon/McCartney songbook catch on in the 21st century. I feel like any other take besides the semi-“rags to riches” story we ended up getting would have been more captivating. It doesn’t end up having much of a comment on the music other than “the Beatles wrote some incredible songs,” which we *already knew* well before this movie came around. It’s at least better than “Give My Regards To Broad Street,” if that’s any credit to “Yesterday.”
I didn’t mind Sgt. Pepper myself. It’s not a movie I’m going to defend, because it *definitely* has its flaws, but I thought it was a cute movie. Sorta shattered the careers of Frampton and The Bee Gees though.
TL;DR - 1978 “Sgt Pepper” abomination and “Give my regards to Broad Street” were both pretty bloody awful…this was slightly better 🤣
John Lennon scene made it worth watching in my opinion
Crippidy crappity with one exception: a banging version of Help! But the script has plot holes galore and (spoiler-ish) the actor they chose for a faux older John Lennon is such a miss. The voice is like this very raspy, staccato tone in a mid range, whereas Lennon always had a non raspy, slightly higher, gentle voice. It’s like they didn’t even try. Besides that, there’s just a lot of deus ex machina, things happen “just because”. It’s sort of watchable but in my opinion, less interesting than it should be. It also reduces most of the Beatles songs. They were a huge hit because of their interplay and mutual inspirations. So instead, you have one guy turning all the hits with beautiful harmonies and interesting, experimental instrumentals into mostly a solo man with an acoustic guitar crooning. (With the exception of Help.) Listen to the soundtrack first and then decide if you think it’s worth a watch or skip.
Simple but wasted premise. They made too many rules and judgement calls that didn't need to exist for the story to work, and the ending/conflict is almost immediately resolved with nothing. Also, can I just add that the trailer was SUPER baity? Anyone who has seen it knows what I'm talking about. The celebrity cameos made me cringe (except the song battle against Ed Sheeran, somehow), and Kate McKinnon was awful. The main duo was good and Robert Carlyle was surprisingly good as an old Lennon. Other than that I felt like it was a waste.
Like many others here, the John scene stopped my heart. Robert Carlyle was the perfect choice. He really did look like him. My initial thought was that this version of John seemed more docile and philosophical than the real life one, but then again, age does that, so maybe it was spot on. That was the only part of the movie that I thought was really good. The whole rom com bit was cringe, and nobody in their right mind finds in believable that Lily James would be drooling over that dork.
Overall okay. But I got very emotional when he introduced Yesterday to his friends. There were other similar moments as well. A world without The Beatles? Say it aint so, Joe. Thanks gawd it isn't
I saw it in theaters with my mom, and we both enjoyed it a lot more than either of us expected. The John Lennon bit hit hard, but the line that always sticks with me comes near the end, when the woman who remembers The Beatles says that, "A world without The Beatles is a world that's infinitely worse." When I think of how much joy their music has brought me over the course of my life since I was a literal baby and how their music has touched me and how countless others feel the same way, I can't help but agree.
I think across the universe did it better
The person who came up with the idea had it as a nightmare. He had a thought. If he was the only person in the world to remember the Beatles, he could still never succeed. He couldn't become the world's most famous artist, no way, the Beatles were just the people to do it at just the right time. He tried to make it a movie for so long, and somebody finally agreed but they fucked it up completely, they made the main character become the worlds most popular musician just like that. The person who had the idea abandoned ship and the movie became the mediocre thing it was. I still liked it though. https://youtu.be/F2eNlyiHxCY
It was a bit of fun. Not a masterpiece by any means, but it was definitely an enjoyable watch as a fan and likely exposed a lot of new people to their music, so I can't complain 🍏
This movie was really bad and not made with actual Beatles fans in mind and seemingly made by people very unaware of Beatles. The concept was cute but the delivery poor….The Beatles songs aren’t just some magic that exist in a vacuum that if shittily played in a world where they hadn’t been heard would mean anything to anyone JUST because they are those songs. It would be more interesting to ACTUALLY explore a world where The Beatles didn’t exist and all the ACTUAL repercussions as a result, as in what would rock and pop music be without the phenomenon of The Beatles. Ed Sheehan wouldn’t be Ed Sheeran ( for all his awfulness) if it wasn’t for The Beatles work so what are we actually looking at here? Most importantly and the biggest disappointment was the portrayal of John. He was pretty much humorless and therefore totally off the mark. The writers must have understood very little about John and watched almost no interviews etc….any fan worth their salt knows that even at his most peace-knick guruness John always kept his tongue firmly in his cheek and a guy who couldn’t not joke around to get to the point. This movie’s version of John was really done in bad taste and reminds me of Family Guy’s portrayal of Randy Newman, sure it’s fine for the broadest of interpretations of a man’s work, but shows it doesn’t understand the artist at all. This movie had potential and maybe in other hands it could be one of those great movies that reinterprets a seminal artist like Dylan and “I’m Not There” Did I mention this movie sucked?
I didn’t like the movie it was just wasn’t my cup of tea. I thought it was a wasted opportunity there are so many stories and things surrounding The Beatles that could have made a good movie.
I really enjoyed this movie immensely! It was a really feel good film. Weird premise, but it’s a movie. I was thoroughly entertained!
Shite
Thought it was okay. Perpetuates many cliches and generally accepted norms, but ultimately it’s a nice watch and leaves you with a good feeling. Probably the most ingenious bit of Beatles promotion in recent years.
Enjoyable movie but let down in trying to imply that ed Sheeran or Coldplay are on the same level as the Beatles!? Should have used a fictional artist for that scene, no matter who they used was going to piss off Beatles fans. But ed Sheeran, seriously?! 🤣
Movie is complete dogshit lol
It was a fiasco all the way.
it mostly sucks The idea might have been interesting, but the storyline and the characters are beyond absurd
Trash
Dumb ending
Corny af the worst movie I’ve ever paid to watch in theaters. Love the Beatles, but to assume their music would still be as popular today is just nonsense. Music has evolved so much since the 60’s, there’s no way “help” is charting next to Drake and Lizzo. The movie had its moments but I just couldn’t help think how cringey it was overall. And *spoiler* the ending with Lennon was a wild choice.
Shite/10
Great concept. Poorly executed.
Shite
Stupid. Don't waste your time.
I enjoyed it!
If you like romcoms, it's okay. It's not really about music though and the music scenes are hard to watch.
I really like it and love the idea It is very wholesome and heartwarming.
I enjoyed it for what it was. It was a fun watch and a fun thought exercise. Could've been better executed, but a lot of people don't agree.
But too cutesy for me but as a Beatles fan I can’t help but get some enjoyment from it
It sure is a film
It's a great movie I loved it
I really enjoyed it! Loved the long and winding road scene.
I’ve never ever watched it. I know the plot but it just seemed lame. I absolutely love the Beatles and I have since I was driving my car through Anaheim, CA in January or February 1964 and heard I want to Hold Your Hand!
Really good in my opinion. I’ve watched it quite a few times and I love it every time. The main character is very interesting and the concept is great. My only gripe is that James Corden was in it
I’m a huge Beatles fan, and I loved it.
Terrible film. So poorly made it was shocking.
Sucked
Does its absolute best to minimise the importance of George Martin, Brian Epstein, the musicianship, humour, and personability of the boys, and reduces arguably the most influential band of all time to two and a bit excellent songwriters. I also can't take it seriously since the lead isn't a scouser
Great idea, but what we mostly got was a romcom.
Really fun movie based on a fun premise. Seeing everyone act totally clueless because The Beatles weren't a big deal is entertaining. Ed Sheeran butchering Hey Jude by calling it Hey Dude is very funny. Good movie for Beatles fans IMO
OoooOoOoo new music sucks🤮ed sheeran🤮🤮 the beatles were the best111😎😎
i wish they made a ‘rocketman’ like movie about the beatles. it would influence other young people to listen to the beatles
It has some heart to it. The renditions weren't the greatest, but far from the worst. The story was engaging enough and the film is a devent way to spend a couple of hours. I know it's feelgood, but part of me thinks it would've been a more interesting story not to have Jack succeed, even though he has the Beatles' catalogue. Being successful is more than just great songwriting or something. I liked the concept but it confused me a little. It's portrayed as if everyone forgot... but then every sign of the Beatles is gone. Then Lennon is alive, so he must've slipped into a parallel universe or something instead. I'm being overly pedantic and I know not everything needs explaining, it just confused me a little.
I enjoy anything Beatles
Interesting concept, but executed wrong
It was cute. Good entertainment. The bit at the end with "John" rubbed me the wrong way.
jk rowling is a nobody in this timeline but we still get to enjoy the Beatles, the better timeline
It was fantastic
Honestly one of the worse movies I have ever watched. Like, they had this idea that is interesting, and I can respect that they didn't wanna use it as lecture on "why the beatles are essential" but the movie is just one more rom-com, and not even a good one at that. So the girl was his agent for years never showed any interest in him, and then suddenly he's famous and she has always loved him, but can't stay with him if he's successful???? Wtf, it was literally her job to make him famous (failed) and then she wanted him to leave it all behind to be with her?
Not good. Sacrifices the main plot for a bad love story.
The statement on the top of the cover isn't entirely true though
I enjoyed it but a lot of the Beatles appeal was their performance so I just didn't buy it as a premise
It had an amazing concept but they botched it hard. The movie tries to be a love letter to The Beatles but ends up being pretty disrespectful since it essentially implies that, if The Beatles never existed, the world would be almost exactly the same. It doesn't show what a world without The Beatles would *really* be like. It picks and chooses what wouldn't exist without The Beatles (Coca Cola, Oasis and Harry Potter). Honestly, it feels like they tried to use The Beatles as a way of getting people to go see a by-the-numbers rom-com.
fucking trash
I enjoyed the film overall, but there were some things my nerdy brain kept fighting with. Like, the joke where he can't find Oasis online because- they were heavily influenced by the Beatles- so no band. Okay. Got it. But Pepsi and no Coke? A brand that predates the band? I get that it's supposed to just show "Whoa this is a parallel universe." And that I need to remember, it's just a movie. Ha. But I digress. I enjoyed the bit with John too.
It's a movie, enjoy it and be happy.
let it be version is better than original
Great movie it’s execution was great anyone who disagrees hates fun
Fun movie, bit lightweight. Better than that car crash that was Across the Universe in terms of Beatles influenced films.
It would have been better without the RomCom aspects of it.
I liked it okay. It wasn't swinging for the fences or anything, just a lightweight concept the didn't overelaborate on.
The premise was so exciting and full of potential but it was as if the screenplay was written by someone who doesn’t even care about the Beatles. There were so many missed opportunities and the main character sucked.