Review: Sweet and charming romantic comedy.
The idea of a world where one of the most popular and influential bands of all time never existed is a fascinating one. The idea of one person remembering these songs and all the sudden become the world's most famous singer/"songwriter" is just as fascinating. However if you are looking for a deep and thought-provoking look at these ideas, this movie does not provide one. Instead this film is a simple romantic comedy. However as a romantic comedy, this one is quite good. As is often the most important factor to a romantic comedy, the romance is very well done. Our two leads are completely charming and have wonderful chemistry with each other. They really come off as a sweet and adorable couple and it is a joy seeing them together on the screen. Of course a romantic comedy has to have some comedy as well as romance. The comedy here is equally as good. There are quite a few truly laugh out loud moments. For instance I love Jack trying to remember the words to Eleanor Rigby. I also really like the running gag of Jack making references to different things and discovering that those don't exist either now. Making all this much more effective is Danny Boyle's excellent direction. His unique touch is felt all throughout this movie and I couldn't help but think of his excellent film, Millions at times, since this has the same lighthearted simple charm as well as some unexplained fantasy elements.
Of course as well as a romantic comedy this movie is also a tribute to The Beatles. This movie has what all tributes should have, a clear and undeniable passion for what they are paying tribute to. It is obvious that the people who made this film love The Beatles. The covers are excellent, as Himesh Patel proves himself to be quite a performing, putting his heart and soul into these famous songs. Also this movie visually complements these songs beautifully. I love the pure energy and shown on screen as Jack, Ellie and Gavin record I Want to Hold Your Hand.
Not everything in this movie works however. The side characters can often be rather bland stereotypes of characters. Also a meeting with a surprise character, feels forced and not as touching as the filmmakers want it to be. You can also see where the romance is going from the start.
This film is delightful and put a smile on my face while watching it. Hopefully it will do the same for you.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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