@Pearlee I just got home and I didn’t have the same reaction as you. LOL
As I said, I don’t know the history of the songs and, instead, the story of the movie was about Jack’s guilt for telling this big lie. However, even though I’m looking at the film in possibly a more superficial way, one thing I noticed that would probably annoy someone with a deeper interest was...
the fact that Jack didn’t have a good explanation for the songs and what they meant.
Pearley comments, for example, on Eleanor Rigby, and I guess I don’t know if there’s supposed to be anything more than someone trying to remember the lyrics. Because I don’t know, I don’t think I missed anything. (If that makes sense.) I think NOT being a mega fan may be a good thing.
I thought it brought up more questions about what you’re supposed to believe in the overall world of the movie.
I did like the scene beforehand, with the yellow submarine.
The googling was great fun!
It wasn’t my idea of a rom-com, although several reviews call it that. I guess it did have a quintessential rom-com ending for boy and girl, but it was also one of those slower, arty films that I’m not sure I would recommend to everyone.
The people to my right walked out mid-movie. The people on my left liked it and thought it was a “cute movie”.
Finally, can we agree that Kate McKinnon practically ruins the film? I felt like she was channeling Elizabeth Banks character from Pitch Perfect for an SNL skit.
Overall, I liked it with a B grade.
@Alter Ego Thank you so much for "reporting back" about what you think -- I found your comments very interesting and thorough. Actually, what you thought the movie was about is quite valid. A lot of the reviews I've read (after I saw it) say that the film doesn't quite determine what it wants to be --- rom com, what you mention above, fantasy (possible explanation for "the scene" near the end) or what. So I think it's both what you stated and what I stated (although in the end I conclude it's rom com with Beatles as background but that didn't seem to be where it was going at first, at all!).
I don't think it's spoiling anything to make the point you did in one of your spoilers. Actually, Jack did know what the songs were about, at least Hey Jude, which he explains correctly in the film (one reason I stated it helps to have background about the songs). His explanation wasn't real detailed, but it was correct. Hey Jude was written when Julian Lennon's parents (John and Cynthia) were divorcing and the song was to console him. It was originally "Hey Jules" (for Julian) but then Paul thought Jude sounded better. "For any time you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain...." is about Julian's pain. Anyway, Jack did give a brief and more general explanation about the song which was true. But you make a good point, elaborating a bit on what you wrote, that the film doesn't really go into why Beatles music was so great and important culturally. The filmmakers just think that's understood because everyone must know that and agree about it the importance of the music (which of course I do but not everyone does.)
I too love the yellow submarines - it made me chuckle. I wasn't going to mention those (so they'd be unexpected to those seeing the film) but since you did, I have to agree with you!
Did you find that scene that I don't want to give away also surprising? It kind of jolted me it was so unexpected!
I think it’s one thing for people not to exist (and thus what they created to never exist), but, if they do exist, then why didn’t they write their songs (or books?) They seemed to want the character Jack visited to be kind of the same person emotionally and spiritually. (Wasn’t he even playing a guitar when we first saw him from behind?) And if that person existed and was the same, then so did everyone else in the same time line. That kind of didn’t make sense to me and I think the main premise of the film loses something because of it. It opens up too many holes.
One thing I didn’t mention that bothered me was that they showed the lights going out around the world. Now, I can’t remember everywhere they showed, but it didn’t seem possible for it to be nighttime across so many different time zones around the world! Surely this happened during the daytime in some locations, but I guess that wouldn’t have looked so impressive. And, I may just be outright wrong as maybe they didn’t show as many time zones as I thought.
@Alter Ego Thanks. And you are right, I won't talk about or ask about that scene again. I just wondered whether you were surprised by it, as I was. I didn't mean for anything to be given away about it. (I wouldn't mind if you deleted that spoiler - I was only asking if the scene was surprising to you since as I say it jolted me.
And LOL at your other observation. I think if we are "buying into" the preposterous premise in the first place, the details of the preposterous premise that don't make sense don't really matter!
@Pearlee That’s interesting, as Ed Shereen is such a natural fit given how well known he is as a song writer.
Anyways, I wanted to pop over here to tell you there is an article on ew.com you may be interested in. Can’t post the link because the title may be spoilery. Was on the front page of the mobile site, so hoping it’s easy to find what I’m talking about whichever device you use.
DH and I was "Yesterday" today. We loved it ( a lot but not as much as "Love Actually"). Most in the large audience were North of fifty and seemed to enjoy it. I disagree with previous poster in that we loved Kate McKinnon (think she has a big future in cinema ( a la Steve Carvell). On the way out I talked to an older audience member who was from Liverpool and knew John Lennon well.
# @Alter Ego Thanks about the article will look for it. I forgot to reply about McKinnon. I usually really like her but I thought her character was over the top and not believable. Too exaggerated.
DH and I was "Yesterday" today. We loved it ( a lot but not as much as "Love Actually"). Most in the large audience were North of fifty and seemed to enjoy it. I disagree with previous poster in that we loved Kate McKinnon (think she has a big future in cinema ( a la Steve Carvell). On the way out I talked to an older audience member who was from Liverpool and knew John Lennon well.
@patbz And speaking of Love Actually, the Beatles are mentioned in that film also. Remember the scene where the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) redeems himself in a press conference with the American President and talks about England's greatness? He mentions England gave us Shakespeare, the Beatles, David Beckham's left foot, David Beckham's right foot, etc. etc.
I enjoyed it very much--not like Bohemian Rhapsody, but still, I liked it. There was little Rom or Com, but the lead actor was a likeable guy and was about the right amount of clueless. I read that his audition required him to play the guitar and sing, so once again, he was doing the actual playing and singing. I have the soundtrack and the song Something is on the soundtrack, but I don't recall it in the actual movie?
The Kate McKinnen character rubbed me the wrong way, but she did have one funny line after he sang The Summer Song when she said "I dislike it so much that I don't want to listen to it again to figure out why I hate it."
The premise was ridiculous, but I don't overthink movies--I go to be entertained and given the fact I didn't look at my watch once, I'd say mission accomplished.
@Pearlee you seem to know a lot about the history of the Beatles and their songs and I had a question about Eleanor Rigby--I kind of knew the back story about the grave, but who actually saw the gravestone and what was the background of why the song was written?
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