A worldwide blackout results in struggling singer songwriter, Jack Malick (Hamish Patel) crashing his bike and losing consciousness. When he recovers, he discovers he is seemingly the only person on Earth to remember The Beatles. He takes the opportunity to pass off their songs as his and his star quickly rises.
Though directed by Danny Boyle, this is unmistakably a Richard Curtis film. His screenplay is full of sympathetic characters, smart lines, and a dose of sentiment. The premise may be fantastical and not hold up to much scrutiny but it really works to deliver a feel good charming movie.
Having successfully avoided EastEnders for the last 34 years, I wasn’t aware of Patel, but he brings a real conviction to the role: desperate to fulfill his ambitions but guilty about how he is achieving it. Lily James is cute as his first manager and potential love interest, Elle Appleton, though a rare misstep is taken with Elle’s ultimatum like reaction to Hamish’ success. In the supporting cast, Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar are funny as his parents and it is always a pleasure to see Joel Fry on screen. Kate McKinnon has a lot of the best lines as Hamish’s new manager, and even Ed Sheeran, in a surprisingly large role, is okay.
The music is presented pretty well, though obviously cannot stand comparison with the original versions. Curtis manages to avoid taking too many obvious turns with the plot. I was fearing that it might end with Hamish coming-to in his hospital bed. There is one scene involving a prosthetic-ed Robert Carlyle that doesn’t fully work but it is a bold one.
An entertaining film with an original premise.
Rating: 8 out of 10