reviewing a premise: yesterday

First, a disclaimer: I have not seen the movie, Yesterday, which is scheduled for release later this year. So, of course, this is not a review. I just wanted to get that out of the way, before saying anything. So no one accuses me of reviewing a movie without seeing it.

So what is this? I guess this is a review of the premise.

I first heard of this movie when a Facebook friend shared the trailer and tagged me -- presumably because he knows I'm into music and movies.*

The premise? Some guy named Jack** finds himself in some kind of reality in which the Beatles never happened. But he knows their songs. Since people assume he wrote them, he manages to ride the brilliance of these masterful songs ("Yesterday," "Hey Jude," "Let It Be").

It's a clever idea, and the movie could be good. I will probably go see it when it comes out -- unless I hear really bad things. But I'm a bit put off by the implicit message that brilliant songs are enough to make a band famous.

The Beatles didn't become successful on the basis of their songwriting. It was a combination of hard work, chemistry and luck. The simple fact is that some uncharismatic schlub isn't going to become a big star simply because he  plays his songs -- no matter how good they are -- for his girlfriend and her friends. And, by the way, if you look at the early Beatles albums, you'll find a distinct lack of those enduring songs. "Please Please Me," "Love Me Do," "I Saw Her Standing There." They were really good pop songs -- I dare say that that third one I named was great. But at their core they are really just simple rock and roll songs. It was actually the band's success that allowed them to take chances with the more ambitious songs that lead to Jack's success in the movie.

Oh, yeah, also...Pete Best.

*I mean, who isn't?

**Well, that's a clever touch.