Tag Archives: Comedy

Bad Education (2020): School District Scandals

Public schools are not the typical targets for embezzlement and fraud, but Bad Education proves otherwise. Set in Roslyn, a wealthy area of Long Island, NY, the film follows the district’s popular superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman; Logan) as he prepares to submit his next budget to have a skywalk added to the high school. Beside him is his hardened assistant superintendent Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney; I, Tonya) who functions as the business manager, their school board chairman Bob Spicer (Ray Romano; Everybody Loves Raymond) and Rachel Bhargava (Geraldine Viswanathan; Blockers), a student writing an article for the school newspaper that uncovers discrepancies in the school’s accounts.

In some ways, this is a story about people caring about results without examining the process as long as the results were favorable. Tassone was seen as the man that took the high school to new heights. During his tenure, the high school became 4th in the nation with many of its students entering top schools like Harvard leading to an increase in property values and the script takes extra effort to repeatedly emphasize this point. Each individual in the system, directly or indirectly, was benefiting from his work. Families saw their home prices rise and their children received better education with a greater chance at a promising future. As long as that trend continued, Tassone had earned their trust and didn’t warrant further inspection despite some red flags.

Jackman’s performance makes it easy to see Tassone’s appeal.

To make this willful disbelief believable requires a certain type of personality and Hugh Jackman brings that to the character. He is smart, well-dressed, and gregarious. He’s accommodating to everyone from junior staff to board members to parents and students and genuinely cares for their well-being and the overall success of the school. He works long hours and has improved the school in incredible ways and was able to use a cover story to create sympathy in others. Jackman plays Tassone as extremely well-behaved. He wears a ring on his finger and speaks of a young wife who died decades earlier that he still hasn’t moved on from. The tragic backstory makes him an almost saint-like figure to the community and Jackman gives him the easygoing confidence and charisma needed to understand how so many could have been swayed by his behavior.

Director Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds) weaves through the scandal from the perspective of the townspeople or board. We’re first introduced and ingratiated by the duo of Tassone and Gluckin only for the story to gradually reveal their true natures. While the script rightfully places blame on the administrators, it is not as scathing as expected. Finley spends more time humanizing than indicting which is a strange decision. It leaves viewers shocked at the audacity and the enormity of their crimes, but doesn’t create the blood-boiling level of outrage that recent films like Dark Waters or Just Mercy have. It’s a choice that shifts the focus from the crime to the cult of personality that allowed it, but unintentionally diminishes the lasting emotional response to the film, despite its intriguing story.

4/5 stars.

The Two Popes (2019): Lively Conversation

At his summer residence in the Palace of Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins; The Silence of the Lambs), previously known Joseph Ratzinger before his papacy, and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce; Brazil) discuss the future of the Catholic church and, most importantly, each other.

For a movie that is mostly old men talking, The Two Popes can be remarkably engaging. The initial meeting of Ratzinger and Bergoglio is an extended repartee where neither appears to be on the same wavelength. Bergoglio is trying to get the Pope’s signature to allow his retirement, but Ratzinger seems intent on changing the topic. Instead he grills Bergoglio on his positions and past actions, pressing on his reasoning and how it compares to the Catholic church’s official stances. These are the film’s strongest sections because the writing allows each person to be seen as a flawed individual, rather than being limited to their position.

The more they interact, the more the actors are able to add to their personalities. Both Hopkins and Pryce are seasoned professionals and while neither is able to fully hide that they are English rather than German or Argentinian, they easily bring out the unique traits of the two men. Pryce makes Bergoglio an impassioned but humble humanitarian who cares more about helping others than upholding dogma. Hopkins shows Ratzinger to be ambitious, but practical. While he wants to keep his position, he is more interested in the continuation and growth of the church and is willing to make personal sacrifices for its sake. Both are more than their titles indicate and the script gives them each personality quirks like favorite hobbies or television shows that add some levity to their characterizations. The roles are rich opportunities for the leads to make the holy leaders human and relatable.

Seeing the men interact like regular people is the most entertaining aspect of the film.

Director Fernando Meirelles (City of God) opts to shoot The Two Popes in a documentary style. As the men converse, Meirelles uses handheld cameras that follow the leads as if trailing a live event. There are zooms, wide shots around corners, and scenes where the camera appears to be behind a bush following the conversation. The visuals are similar to the fly-on-the-wall style in Armando Iannucci’s work (Veep), but without the farce. This creative choice prevents the film from feeling like prestige Oscar-bait and instead makes it a more humble and honest affair.

While the film does portray its subjects positively, it doesn’t make them saints. They are shown having doubts and regrets about themselves and their past actions. They even address major issues like the church’s knowledge and concealment of sexual abuse and the responsibility they have to the victims and their other followers. Several of these scenes involve flashbacks with other actors playing younger versions of the leads but these are the least compelling sections, despite providing additional background on how the men became who they are today. They also occupy a significant portion of the film’s runtime and carry nowhere near the heart and humor of the simple discussions. The significant use of flashbacks undermine the chemistry of the two fantastic leads, but The Two Popes is still a lively, welcome surprise.

3/5 stars.

Dolemite is My Name (2019): Stylish Underdog Story

As the story of a surprise hit film, Dolemite is My Name, is itself a surprise success. The story follows Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy; Coming to America) who, at the start of the film, is a failed singer working in an LA record store. He works part-time as a comedian, but is limited to introducing acts rather than performing due to his poorly received material. After hearing the ranting of a local homeless man, he decides to use his stories as the basis for his own comedy act which launches an unlikely career in show business and the production of Dolemite, a blaxpoitation classic.

Rudy is a true dreamer. He is his own biggest cheerleader who, despite constant rejection, perseveres in his pursuit of becoming an entertainer. He seems fully confident in all his abilities from singing to comedy to acting even as he fails in front of crowds. Rudy is willing to reshape himself to be accepted as he forms the Dolemite character to impress. His source material, recording homeless men talk in exchange for buying them liquor, is morally questionable as he profits off people in dire straits without adequately compensating them, but his performances are a huge hit. He tells stories that seem like Aesop’s fables where every other word is a profanity or vulgarity. Some will find the clever wordplay entertaining, but the sheer obscenity of the language will turn others off.

Snipes’s disapproving expressions are hilarious.

It’s the shift to Rudy’s film career that makes the film. Unsatisfied with his album success, Rudy tries to star in a movie only to produce and finance it himself when turned down by movie studios due to his race, age, and body type. At this point, the film brings in a colorful cast of characters led by Lady Reed (Da’Vine Joy Rudolph; People of Earth), Rudy’s comedy associate and co-lead in his movie, and D’Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes; Blade), the movie’s director and only actor with any notable experience. These two spice up the film with Martin believing himself to be too good for the material and Lady being completely supportive and excited about the opportunity.

In its best moments, Dolemite is My Name resembles the tone of The Disaster Artist. It’s a story of misfits and outcasts on a seemingly impossible journey to make something high-quality despite their lack of resources. This tireless optimism is infectious as the film positions Rudy as the ultimate underdog, risking everything for his dream of making a feature that caters to a neglected audience, people like him. Eddie Murphy is at his best here and mixes Rudy’s ambition with kindness. He gets frustrated, but ultimately he believes in his friends and the gentle conversations he has with Lady about their own insecurities are touching. All of this wrapped in an aesthetic that would make the Dolemite character proud. Director Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) literally pimps out his film with flamboyant outfits, glittering colors, and a fun, fast pace.  As larger than life as the Dolemite character was, Eddie Murphy and team have done an incredible job bringing the film’s production down to earth and showcasing the spirit and conviction that earned its classic status.

4/5 stars.

The Death of Dick Long (2019): Dark Comedy-Thriller with a Secret

After friends Zeke (Michael Abbott Jr.; Loving), Earl (Andre Hyland; The 4th), and Dick (Daniel Scheinert) finish band practice, Dick asks them, “Wanna get weird?”. Since this is a film directed by Daniel Scheinert (one half of the duo behind Swiss Army Man), the answer is most definitely “Yes”. The three go all out drinking, smoking, and setting off fireworks, until the film cuts to Zeke and Earl carrying a bleeding Dick to a hospital emergency room before leaving without a trace. Later, they discover that Dick didn’t survive the night.

Visually, the film is less interesting than Scheinert’s previous work. Swiss Army Man featured creative production design and artful practical effects that would have fit in a Michel Gondry film. Scheinert shows elements of that aesthetic in the film’s opening wild night, but mostly focuses on creating the grounded setting, even down to its music choice. The soundtrack features bands like Creed and Nickelback that are regularly ridiculed in mainstream press but are successful in rural areas. The film’s visuals may not be particularly imaginative, but it does carry an authentic backwoods country vibe.

The opening wild night is the most visually exciting part of the film.

Scheinert straddles a difficult line between thriller and comedy. The death, and its horrific cause, give the film a slightly dangerous edge. Zeke and Earl are not only trying to hide their involvement with whatever led to Dick’s demise, they won’t even mention what caused it. This casts suspicion over their actions. If it was an accident, what would they have to hide? It seems unlikely that they would deliberately harm their friend, but why else would they deny their involvement? What other sort of illicit activities could have happened that night? Zeke and Earl’s behaviors raise questions about their culpability.

The comedy comes from their reactions to the situation and their poor attempts at hiding their connection to the death. Zeke and Earl argue about movie references while cleaning bloodstains out of a car and awkwardly hide the facts from their significant others. Their position becomes increasingly complicated as they run into the two local police officers at inconvenient times and have to weasel their way out of the interactions. It isn’t overtly going for laughs the way a regular comedy would, but the film’s incompetent leads get themselves into several difficult, but humorous situations when avoiding being caught.

The end result of the strange balancing act is an enjoyable film, but one that doesn’t exceed expectations in either area. The film isn’t quite a thriller, but the central mystery is still involving. It isn’t necessarily tense, but Scheinert is able to maintain enough intrigue to keep the audience tuned in. The humor isn’t gut-busting, but there is enough of it to amuse. When the story finally unravels with an answer that is shocking beyond belief, something out of the territory for a resolution to most stories, it provides ample reason for all of the preceding behavior. The Death of Dick Long is a dark comedy-thriller that, given its subject matter, balances tones enough to entertain the audience until it reaches its outrageous reveal.

3/5 stars.

The Day Shall Come (2019): Failed Satire

Chris Morris (Four Lions) returns to cinema with another satire in a setting that doesn’t seem appropriate for humor. While his previous film followed terrorists, The Day Shall Come flips the script and centers on a team of FBI counter-terrorism agents in Miami. The agents, featuring Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), have their eyes on the leader of a small religious group named Moses (Marchánt Davis).

Morris has spent most of his career deriving comedy from subject matter that should be off limits. He was thrust into the spotlight when making jokes about pedophilia on British TV then again when he made Four Lions, a comedy about four would-be suicide bombers. With Four Lions, there was an initial period of discomfort when faced with the idea of laughing at their lethal behavior, but it quickly dissipated after realizing how incompetent and misguided they were. Morris was able to deftly balance viewing the farcical nature of the ideology behind suicide bombings, the damage they cause, and the fragile mental state that allows regular people to become expendable tools in other people’s wars.

Moses has his own goals, but isn’t the violent terrorist the FBI wants him to be.

The Day Shall Come doesn’t share that level of nuance. Despite a great cast that is, in other works, very likable, the proceedings are in bad taste. Unlike the terrorists from Four Lions, Moses and his followers pose no real threat. He talks about an mutiny against the oppressors but is unequivocally against using guns, turning them down when offered. Furthermore, he has no actual power. His group has only a handful of people and they are dirt poor. They can’t afford rent for their run-down home and his wife goes dumpster diving to provide food for his followers and his children. He has goals of starting a revolution, but will clearly never be able to. His group has outlandish beliefs like being able to summon dinosaurs with an air horn or that Moses has telekinetic powers showing that he is delusional, but not harmful.

This is what creates the dilemma of the film. The FBI agents aren’t interested in actual counter-terrorism. Their work shown in the film consists of them hiring actors or blackmailing other convicts to set up possible criminals and have them engage in an illegal activity. In some cases, these are actually violent people intending to do harm, but that seems inconsequential. The agents appear to only want to increase their own notoriety by racking up convictions to advance their career. After they botch a potential arrest, they become more desperate and use Moses as their next target. As they try to get him to participate in illegal activities, he makes things difficult for them by not actually being a criminal. He goes to the FBI to report that others are trying to engage in arms trafficking, hoping to prevent the act as well as earn the reward money needed to pay his rent. In moments like this, where someone not committing a crime is viewed as a hindrance to the FBI agents and their purely self-serving goals, the film crosses the line of satire and the characters become despicable. This doesn’t appear to be a failure to achieve Morris’s intended goals, he may have wanted the agents to be received this way, but it is a creative misfire. The film is a failed satire, unable to sustain humor in the face of its reprehensible characters and their shameful, short-sighted manipulation.

2/5 stars.

Jojo Rabbit (2019): Nazi Comedy

Using the increased clout afforded to him after revitalizing a Marvel franchise with Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) has gone to much riskier material. Jojo Rabbit is a comedy set in Germany near the end of WWII. Jojo (Roman Griffith Davis) is a boy who is obsessed with Hitler and fully indoctrinated by his ideals. His world becomes more complicated when he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie; Leave No Trace) in their home.

Waititi gets great work from his main cast. As Jojo, Davis has the wide-eyed look of an innocent, but easily impressionable kid and it allows him to get away with reciting Nazi propaganda. While what he says is hateful, it is obvious that he is only a child repeating what he has been mislead to believe is true. McKenzie brings a surprising amount of strength to her role. As the lone Jewish character, reduced to hiding in the walls of a house, it would have been easy for her to be a victim, but instead she comes off as resilient and bold. Her use of Jojo’s misconceptions to terrify and control him are an unexpected treat as she deliberately moves like a ghost in a horror movie to play into his fears. Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers), as Jojo’s mother, is warm and loving, but has an hilariously antagonistic side. Since she secretly despises Nazi beliefs, she subtly teases Jojo to get him to understand that his beliefs are wrong by telling him about the importance of love while also gently taunting him by calling him “Shitler” or tying his shoelaces together.

The supporting roles have their moments as well with Yorkie (Archie Yates) deserving high praise. As Jojo’s chubby, bespectacled second-best friend, Yorkie is the film’s funniest character. His sweet nature and complete obliviousness to the events around him are hilarious. Every moment he shares with Jojo is heartwarming and cute as he finds himself inexplicably resilient and makes his way through one precarious situation after another.

Waititi uses overly exaggerated facial expressions that detract from the humor.

The exception to the excellent casting unfortunately comes in Waititi himself. A self-described “Polynesian Jew”, Waititi playing Hitler is, in theory, a perfect fit. He is a talented comedian and the idea of casting a non-white Jewish actor as Hitler is in itself appropriately insulting to Nazi beliefs, but Waititi overacts in the role. It’s important to distinguish that this is not Hitler, but rather a 10 year old’s imaginary version of Hitler, so he only has the mental faculties of a little boy. This leads to some moments of levity as Waititi is confused by things a child wouldn’t understand, but his facial expressions are often too much to handle. He spends most of his screentime trying to make funny faces to get easy laughs, but this is distracting and undermines much of the humor leading to a film with jokes that miss as often as they land.

Setting a feel-good comedy in Nazi Germany is not a normal premise and it has understandably offended some. Jojo Rabbit doesn’t portray Nazis as good-hearted, but it does make them seem like incompetent buffoons in an aesthetically pleasing Wes Anderson-like world that only lightly touches on the atrocities they were so efficient in executing, which is a tonal mistake. That being said, the Nazis themselves are not the focus of the film. Jojo Rabbit, like many of Waititi’s works, is a coming of age story, this time in the midst of warped society. It is ultimately about a child learning to embrace love over hate and disregarding the alleged differences between various people. It doesn’t have the sustained laugh rate it aims for, but Jojo Rabbit is still enjoyable for its lead cast, goofball humor, and a few poignant moments.

3/5 stars.

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019): Heartwarming Adventure

With dreams of becoming the next great professional wrestler, Zak (Zach Gottsagen), a 22-year old man with Down syndrome, escapes the retirement home he lives in to make his way to Florida and join a wrestling school. He is pursued by Eleanor (Dakota Johnson; Suspiria), his friend and caretaker from the home. Along the way he befriends Tyler (Shia LaBeouf; Transformers) who lets him tag along as he runs away from his own pursuers.

Set in the coastal areas of North Carolina, the film has some beautiful views. Directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz favor the yellow-greens of the wet setting when outdoors without postcard-style imagery. They make an effort to show how grimy life in that area can be. Most of the characters are poor, houses are broken down, and everyone seems to be dirty and sweaty. LaBeouf looks like he hasn’t showered for days and it makes the characters and setting believable.

With his straightforward delivery, Zak is an immediately likable protagonist. Zak is smart, resourceful, and determined. The subterfuge in his attempts to escape the retirement home are hilarious as he earns the help of his fellow patients though bartering pudding for a diversion. He brings honesty and innocence to the screen. He responses carry no pretense or ulterior motive and Gottsagen’s acting feels completely in the moment as Zak authentically reacts to the characters around him. His goal of reaching the wrestling camp, while ridiculous, is so earnest that it makes him and his pursuit sympathetic. Despite this being his first major role, Gottsagen is able to handle himself alongside experienced actors like Bruce Dern (Nebraska) as he deftly handles both dramatic and silly scenes.

Zak and Tyler grow into a sweet brotherly bond.

The friendship between Zak and Tyler is what drives the film. LaBeouf has a reputation both on an off camera, but his performance here contrasts nicely with Gottsagen. Tyler is trying to be a lone wolf as he flees his pursuers, but, after witnessing Zak’s sincerity, he becomes the perfect contrast. He encourages Zak and makes Zak’s goals his own. The same is true for Eleanor. She is more pragmatic as she wants to bring Zak back home to safety, but she also recognizes how much wrestling means to him and is willing to take risks just to make him happy. As cliché as it may seem, Tyler and Eleanor become Zak’s surrogate family and the care they show Zak is heartwarming without being saccharine.

The film focuses on themes of family and self-acceptance. When Zak and Tyler start their journey, Zak has negative opinions about his own abilities. He assumes he has to be the villain in wrestling because he has Down syndrome until Tyler explains otherwise. It’s nothing new for a film to promote self-acceptance, but the tangible changes to Zak’s perception of himself are enough to soften the familiarity. Showing, not telling, how even small bits of encouragement can drastically change someone’s beliefs is the film’s greatest accomplishment. Nilson and Schwartz have made a heartwarming adventure with an unlikely, but lovable hero.

4/5 stars.

Blinded by the Light (2019): Dreams and The Boss

In a small, working-class town in England, a boy discovers the music that will change his entire world. Javed (Viveik Kalra; Beecham House) is a 16 year old that writes poems in his diary and is told by his immigrant parents to study to become a doctor, lawyer, or estate agent. His goals in life change when a friend introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen. This is the late 80s when Bruce is no longer popular with the synth pop-loving teenagers, but his lyrics about blue-collar life strike a chord with Javed and inspire him to pursue his love of writing.

To Javed, Bruce’s music doesn’t just sound great, it’s a revelation. No scene communicates this better than when Javed inadvertently serenades a girl from his class. While working at a clothing shop, he turns on his Walkman and notices the girl from his class he likes in the distance. He stares at her and starts singing along to the Springsteen song as he slowly walks towards her, transfixed and seemingly unaware of his very public display of affection. What follows is a disarmingly sweet explosion of emotion as Javed continues to sing and others join in and start dancing. The music, like his first love, is an overwhelming torrent of feeling that he carries him forward. That director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) can take a trite act like singing to someone and turn it into an act of pure, uninhibited passion is a testament to her strengths as a director and the deeply affecting link between Javed and the music.

The swirling lyrics that accompany the music are a nice addition, especially for those unfamiliar with Springsteen’s music.

Despite her background in narrative filmmaking, Chadha pulls from prominent music video techniques. When Javed first hears Bruce’s music, there are lyrics onscreen that float around his head, emphasizing his connection to the meaning behind the songs, not just an appreciation for their sound. As Javed listens, Chadha uses projections of images and lyrics onto building walls to show his total immersion in the music. It’s not an original visual, but it is effective as Javed touches words on the walls in earnest kinship.

Most of Javed’s story is predictable, but the sincerity of it all is enough to distract from its familiarity. It’s again the story of traditional parents with a child that wants to do something outside the norm, therein creating a rift in his family. Javed’s dad is stern, prescriptive, Javed says “In my house, only my dad is allowed to have an opinion.”, and disapproves of his music and writing. Javed instead finds support from his English teacher at school who encourages him to express his voice. At first, it seems like he is going to be obnoxious with how overeager he is, but that fear quickly dissipates with his charm. He and his friend love Bruce Springsteen to such an exorbitant degree that it’s impossible not to enjoy watching characters so genuinely passionate about something. Blinded by the Light tells a conventional narrative, but does so with enough unrestrained emotion and engrossing idealism to make Springsteen himself proud.

4/5 stars.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): Warm Nostalgia

Quentin Tarantino loves movies and with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood he has created a love letter to one of his favorite periods of the entertainment industry.  Rick (Leonardo DiCaprio; The Departed) is a former star of a TV western show, now only making small appearances as the villain in other programs. He, with the help of his longtime stuntman and personal assistant Cliff (Brad Pitt; The Tree of Life), make their way around town as they try to restart their careers. Parallel to this is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie; The Wolf of Wall Street) who is a rising star enjoying her life.

There are few films with as deep a cast as this. It’s filled with cameos from Al Pacino, Bruce Dern, and many other legendary actors, but it’s DiCaprio and Pitt that steal the show. As leading men, they are as charismatic as ever, but, despite their still unfairly good looks, they show their age. Both actors have prominent wrinkles and bodies that appear weathered by time. Rick and Cliff are actors past their prime and DiCaprio and Pitt beautifully convey their reluctant aging and their diminishing role in the changing world of show business.

Rick and Cliff have a gentle, supportive friendship.

Unlike Tarantino’s previous work, there really isn’t a plot and that’s not a criticism. The film follows DiCaprio and Pitt as they go about their daily lives. Rick meets with agents and acts on set while Cliff runs errands. A significant amount of the screen time is them driving around while Tarantino gives us a tour of his vision of LA in the late 60s. It’s not period perfect, but it is accurate to his memory. Even without any connection to the location or time, the setting still evokes nostalgia for an era long gone. Sharon’s portions of the film are similarly domestic. We see her go to a screening of a movie she stars in and spend time with her friends in a completely normal, unglamorous way. This is the most humanizing Tarantino has every been and it’s a welcome change that shows the director’s maturation. Rick and Cliff are fading stars whose mistakes are endearing as they become lovable goofs while Sharon’s good-natured, unpretentious spirit is incredibly likable. Tarantino’s characters are still unique to his trademark style, but he has the confidence to let the audience spend time with them for no other reason than his own affection towards them.

The one flash of Tarantino’s genre fetishes comes at the finale. The ending is a sudden leap from what had been fairly tame, but it provides a jolt of adrenaline to the warm comfort developed by most of the film. What happens onscreen may be considered excessive, but it is also gratifying and cathartic. It plays with audience expectations and closes the film with a reminder of Tarantino’s full range of talent as it balances the brutal, farcical, and hilarious. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood may not have grand genre-defining ambitions like Pulp Fiction, but its rich characters and world are a joy to spend an afternoon with.

4/5 stars.

Yesterday (2019): Goofy Charm with Rushed Plotting

Some people say that if they could time travel, they’d go back to buy stock in Amazon or Google. For a musician, the equivalent might be playing songs before they were ever written and in Yesterday a struggling singer gets that chance. Jack (Himesh Patel; EastEnders) is a singer-songwriter who has never been able to get a record deal or write a hit song. After a particularly bad show, he decides to quit forever and bikes home only to be hit by a bus home during a freak global blackout. When he comes to, he realizes that no one has heard of The Beatles and takes the opportunity to pass off their music as his own.

While Yesterday presents an alternate timeline, that isn’t its focus. The film touches on a few trickle down effects of a world without The Beatles, like certain other bands never existing, and gets several laughs out of Jack frantically googling things only to realize they don’t exist, but it makes best use of the premise with the world’s casual indifference towards music that we now consider legendary. As Jack tries to play “Let it Be” for his family, his father keeps disrupting him, the neighbor stops by, and his mom can’t quite remember the name. There are also several jokes about the stranger titles of Beatles songs and albums and how no modern market research would ever allow such poor branding. Despite all these touches, at its heart, Yesterday is a romantic comedy.

Ellie (Lily James; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) is Jack’s manager, roadie, biggest supporter, and clearly has unrequited feelings for him. Other characters point out their unusual relationship, but its importance never reaches Jack until he starts traveling. The arc of their relationship is nothing new, but it’s nevertheless enjoyable.

Ed Sheeran is hilarious as he pokes fun at himself.

The film was written by Richard Curtis (Notting Hill) and it shows in every detail. The characters have the same likable, goofy, slightly off-beat charm he is known for and there is plenty of humor. Jack’s roadie, Rocky (Joel Fry; 10,000 BC), might as well be the roommate from Notting Hill with all his social faux pas and well-meaning failures. The film’s biggest surprise is singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. Sheeran who, playing himself, acts as Jack’s mentor and is hilarious in the self-satire as he gives Jack bad advice on how to succeed in the music industry. Curtis’s humor and charm are the film’s main draws.

While Curtis may have the greatest creative imprint, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) is still the director. This is notably lighter fare than his usual work, but Boyle does an admirable job with the material. There are several oblique angles and a more kinetic energy to the camera movements. The story does however seem noticeably rushed. The major character changes from the second and third acts happen at a pace too quick to be believable and characters make decisions that are implausible in order for the story to reach its desired conclusion. It isn’t revolutionary and has some plot issues, but Yesterday has a unique premise and plenty of endearing characters and good-natured humor to make up for it.

3/5 stars.