Hey Dude, don’t make it bad…
Dir. Danny Boyle
Runtime: 116 minutes
Rating: PG
Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James
What would happen if the World woke up one day and didn’t know who the Beatles were? What if you were the only person in the World who could remember them? If you were musically skilled, would you try their music on for size? These are the kind of questions that are explored in 2019 Danny Boyle film which is beautifully written by Jack Barth with a screenplay by Richard Curtis.
Himesh Patel plays Jack Malik, a struggling musician living in Lowestoft (UK) who despite the support from his number one fan/ manager Ellie (Lily James), can’t seem to catch his break. During a random global power outage, he is hit by a bus and concussed. Upon waking up he slowly realizes that he is the only person that remembers Liverpool musical legends, the Beatles. Jack decides to try and use this opportunity for himself and begins playing Beatles music as part of his act, slowly getting recognized in the world of music for his song craftsmanship. Jack slowly drifts away from his old life and Ellie, and into different circles which include Ed Sheeran. As time ticks on and the guilt of getting famous off other people’s work bears down on him it turns out that Jack isn’t actually the only person who remembers the Beatles – he’s followed by angry looking people who seem to know the truth of what he’s doing. His life begins to spiral out of control and the tip of the iceberg seems to be losing his one tie friend, super-fan and manager, Ellie. Determined to make things right Jack must act quickly, but he faces a potential backlash from various sides.
The casting in this film was great, I really bought into Himesh Patel’s character. He has a great character development arc going on, starting out shy and retiring, before becoming somebody that is bursting with confidence and smug with it, and steering towards content and happy. He was a lovable character which was beautifully written for and well delivered. Likewise, I also enjoyed Lily James in this, she was sweet and lovable. She came across as a great friend but also a brilliant ‘girl next door’. Her journey was also beautifully written, and I was heartbroken for her at a point into the film. Other minor characters also did well and were enjoyable; Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Jack’s parents are comedy gold; Joel Fry as Rocky was fun; Sarah Lancashire and Justin Edwards as the angry strangers felt authentic; even Ed Sheeran as himself was kind of fun and did not come across as embarrassing or wooden. Even Kate McKinnon as the pantomime villain was engaging and did well in her role.
With Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis in the driving seat for this I would have been foolish if I thought that this would not be an endearing and entertaining story. Despite that I was worried about this before sitting down to watch it, especially with the musical muses they were using. I am fond of the music of the Beatles, and I was worried that this film somehow would not do it justice or would somehow mock it a little. I was wrong, this was fun, it did not belittle to song and legacy it was written around. Rather than handling the back-catalogue of music like a biopic the likes of which have been popular in recent years (“Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018), “Rocketman” (2019), etc) this handles things differently. It spins us a fiction tale and uses an alternate reality to sell it to the audience. Rather than a biographical approach it pays homage to the music which puts it in a genre which is not all that rife with titles.
As I mentioned, I was dubious about potentially disliking or enjoying this, but as it turned out this was kind of reflected in the film too. My doubts were reflected in the strangers who were looking at Jack with their dubious eyes – I was also Jack’s self-doubt when he felt that he was doing wrong. Their sentiments at the end of the film was how I was left feeling; they were relieved at the truth; they were relieved that the music was being handled well; they enjoyed themselves – and so did I.
It was not all perfection and fun though, there were some things that did not work that well in the film which will be reflected in my final rating. I did not like the way the music of four individuals had been condensed to the point that a single person could bring it to life. Even with the way the music industry had been presented in the film it felt as though only the song writing and lead vocals were the important thing here. That could be my beef at modern music though – God I sound like my dad there.
It was not all perfection and fun though, there were some things that did not work that well in the film which will be reflected in my final rating. I did not like the way the music of four individuals had been condensed to the point that a single person could bring it to life. Even with the way the music industry had been presented in the film it felt as though only the song writing and lead vocals were the important thing here. That could be my beef at modern music though – God I sound like my dad there.
I liked how a John Lennon character was added to the film, but the more I thought about it the more it ate away at me as a cheap trick to make the audience question that validity of the situation being examined. If John Lennon lives is it ok that the band never make the music – and is it therefor okay for Jack to be doing the music? It was nice seeing a John Lennon character, but why not the rest of the band too – after all he was not the only reason the band were successful – yes iconic, but the solo architect, no. It felt like a very American point-of-view with Lennon alone being put on a pedestal above everybody else because from what I understand he is a cult hero there still. Interviews with Boyle stated that while the estates of the Beatles gave their blessing to the music being used, they had no contribution to it at all. I cannot help wondering if they might have had something to say about John’s appearance.
The biggest downside for me though was that it felt rushed towards the end of the film. It felt like a happy ending was desperately needed to make the film complete. I did not like how needy Ellie turned out, making Jack decide between her and the music – especially after she was his biggest supporter at the start. From the point that Jack realized that he had lost Ellie the film felt like the last slope on a roller-coaster that happened too quickly. In addition, when Ellie had found happiness, it did not feel right that she would just throw her life away again for Jack. It made her seem shallow about the way she handled her current relationship.
All in all, I enjoyed the film. Despite any reservations it was handled well, and it was a foot-tapping bundle of joy that kept me entertained and downplayed any worries I had before sitting down to watch it. You do not have to be a fan of the fab four to enjoy this film, but if you are there are plenty of homages along the way that should leave a knowing grin on your face. It was an interesting idea. It might have lacked a great delivery towards the end and indeed a brilliant conclusion, but it still worked well.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (7/10)
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