Well I saw it when it came out and rather liked it. Sure, I would also have liked for there to have been 90 minutes of
what-if?s being systematically addressed... but the fact of the matter is that this is a romantic comedy, and I was invested in the romance at the heart of the film. They were authentic characters that I could relate to. Little details made me laugh: Rocky stealing
all the crisps; the little recording studio next to a train crossing; Ellie's "dream board"
or whatever it was called. Moreover I liked how it sent up the marketing-led music industry and how Jack had to fight them to remain his authentic self.
The musical elements was well chosen (bursting onto the scene with "Back in the USSR" or singing "Oh Bla Di Oh Bla Da" with the kids to finish) and the sci-fi elements were well-integrated without swamping the romantic A-plot: John Lennon's appearance was heartwarming; honestly completely took me off guard and brought a tear to my eye; and gave some food for thought re being true to oneself. The "anomaly" had ripple-effects which made for an amusing set of call-backs. The fans-who-remembered stalking him made for a good looming threat.
The scene where these two, instead of accusing Jack, actually (to his surprise)
thank him for his work was the most moving scene in the film for me. It was an affirmation of the fact that some things are a pure good-in-itself. Whether or not we are some superhuman figure who towers above our contemporaries by dint of pure genius... is actually less important than making people happy via being a conduit for what is good and wholesome.
On that point, I was really riled up by this guest on
not the director Robert Rodriguez's podcast "Something About the Beatles":
https://somethingaboutthebeatles.com/184-yesterday-and-the-myth-of-meritocracy/I had an inkling while I was watching the film that, vanilla as it was, it would really get up the noses of people who mean to deconstruct everything in service of their own egos and self-righteousness.
That's not to say there isn't a point in what the guest is saying... Rodriguez does a good job of fielding these criticisms and being generous to them... unfortunately though the guest seems stuck on the narrative of "Elvis stole Rock 'n' Roll" and doesn't have anything insightful to say about the Beatles specifically.