Danny Boyle’s Beatles Movie ‘Yesterday’ Has A Polarizing, But Ringo-Approved Cameo

[Very weird spoilers for the very weird movie Yesterday]

Danny Boyle’s “world without the Beatles” movie Yesterday is a “profoundly terrible waste of a great premise,” to quote our own Vince Mancini, but that undersells how weird this film is. Ed Sheeran — y’know, the guy from Game of Thrones — provides maybe the biggest laugh; Harry Potter and, uh, cigarettes don’t exist, too; and Jack Malik keeps the “well, she was just 17, and you know what I mean” opening from “I Saw Her Standing There.” Not sure how well that would fly in a “new” song from 2019. Also, John Lennon is in Yesterday.

Well, it’s not the real John Lennon, obviously, but an actor playing John Lennon (Boyle didn’t reveal his identity, but according to IMDb, his name is Robert Carlyle), who, because he never met Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, retired to a quiet life of not getting assassinated. It’s a jarring cameo that Boyle had trouble processing the first time he read Richard Curtis’ screenplay. “When we came to test the film, yes, there are some people that don’t like it at all. But other people like it enormously,” he told USA Today. “We call it a ‘Marmite scene’ in Britain. It divides people very clearly.”

One person who enjoyed seeing beachside Lennon is Ringo. “We sent everyone the finished film, and we got a lovely message from Ringo and Barbara [Bach], and a lovely message back from Olivia [Harrison], George’s widow,” Boyle said. “I don’t think Paul’s seen the film yet but he saw and liked the trailer.” Some viewers were right there with Ringo, re: Lennon’s cameo.

— julia (@juliaxemily) June 28, 2019

Just returned from a midnight showing of a Danny Boyle movie, Yesterday.

Magnificent!!!!

Could not predict who the two people were that hovered in the background. No one can, it is impossible, but they were massively important. Wow! to see John Lennon as a 78 year old.

— NAKAJIMA FILMS (@CHANNAKAJIMA) June 30, 2019

A number of people left the cinema during YESTERDAY, directly after the [SPOILERS… I guess] John Lennon scene. I wonder if that offends people. Seems like a risky thing to do, but I was mostly charmed by it. This is a fantasy after all. pic.twitter.com/KIGPFfwDZa

— Luke Ryan (@RazorwireRyan) June 29, 2019

Gasped n cried at John Lennon scene in Yesterday. oh god!! 78 years old of John Lennon. @robertcarlyle_ this is fantasy to The Beatles fans all around the world. the happy n upset is becomes one now. #YesterdayMovie #JohnLennon

— ʟɛռռօռツ (@wildanuhuy) June 29, 2019

Yesterday is my new fav movie. it has even John Lennon in it well i know it wasn’t John but he was CGI or lookalike or something. i’m so happy, loved every second of it i feel so alive ugh i’ve always loved The Beatles so much

— Ella (@crybabylovegirl) June 28, 2019

Others were, let’s say, not enjoying the “Marmite scene.”

— Jake Collins (@Jake30701) June 30, 2019

I just learned how Yesterday handles John Lennon and I am never going to watch this picture

— Matt Prigge (@mattprigge) July 1, 2019

The movie Yesterday is a disappointment and disrespectful to The Beatles, it was just cringe overall (especially the John Lennon part) and it felt like you were watching a promo for Ed Sheeran’s new album rather than a Beatles movie

— Carlos V. (@carlosv1297) July 2, 2019

The #Yesterday drinking game is just:

1. Drink every time a place name or lyrics appear on screen.

2. Drink every time they use a Dutch angle.

3. Drink every time Ed Sheeran appears.

4. Drink through the entire John Lennon scene.#YesterdayMovie

— Ariadne Griffin (@Ariadne_Griffin) July 1, 2019

And in the end, I couldn’t help but wonder: has Pete Best seen Yesterday