A charming British Dramedy about a struggling musician JACK MALIK whose song writing skills are a little on the left side, with the help of his childhood friend and his manager ELLE he gets some mini places to perform like a bar, restaurant, cafe, children’s parties but he gets no or less attention from the audience except his group of friends Elle, Brian, Nick and his wife Karen who follows him most times to cheer him up.
On a night after he performs he feels bad and tells his friend Elle that “it is the end”.
And after Elle drops him off in the street to his house, As he rides his bicycle he noticed that all the power supply around his was tripping off and as he was looking around confused;he gets hit by a bus. Then the power supplies came back on.
He wakes up in a hospital. He’s lost two of teeth in the accident. Elle was there with him and after being discharged she took him to NICK’s house where a mini welcome party where they took funny pictures and gave him gifts representing his accident and recovery-a mini bus because he was hit by a bus and a fake teeth. Elle got him a guitar and they asked him to play a song for them.
He obliged and sings YESTERDAY by THE BEATLES while playing the guitar- they all gave shocked faces and asked him when he wrote the song: they seem to have forgotten who THE BEATLES are. He tries to tell and remind them but they all don’t know.
When he go home he searches for THE BEATLES on GOOGLE and the musical group didn’t pop up except information about “Beetle”-the insect. He searches for SGT PEPPER of ‘The Beatles’ but nothing except information about sergeants and pepper. He was shocked, he stands up to look for the album of THE BEATLES which he had but didn’t find it; he went back searches for THE ROLLING STONE, CHILDISH GAMBINO and they all popped up with the correct information about the Artistes. He also searches for OASIS WONDERWALL of ‘The Beatles’ but only information about walls displayed.
Frustrated and confused he went to Elle’s house and when she opens he asks “do you genuinely not know who THE BEATLES is?” She said she doesn’t. He turned back and trekked back home in the rain and asks himself if he can do it. He spent the night writing down all ‘The Beatles’ song titles and lyrics that he could recall.
The following day, while arranging the songs his mum walks in and drops a PEPSI can on his desk and when he asks her for a coke;she stares blankly and says she doesn’t know what he is talking about. He browses on Google and didn’t find anything about the well-known carbonated soft drink on the internet. He couldn’t believe it. Later on, he went to the dentist to replace his lost teeth.
He performs for his parent.
He performs again in another restaurant and after he left, a man Gavin talks to Elle and gave her his business card. She went to meet him to tell him the surprise and they both ran to the address.
In the studio, Gavin and Elle assisted Jack in recording some of his songs (The Beatles songs) with creative addition of live train sounds, clapping and hitting.
The next day he got an interview where he sang one of THE BEATLES love song.
On the drive back home, Elle tells him that the song is very beautiful and she asks who he wrote the song about, he tells her to stop the car and says that there is something about the songs he has been singing that she needs to know; just then, his phone rang and when he picked he asked the person to be serious and hung up-he tells Elle that the person says he is ED SHEERAN. Both of them didn’t believe. The phone rang again. And he felt it was his friend Nick playing a prank on him, so he asked him to give the phone to his wife Karen who is always with him: he stares blankly and hung up again, then asks Elle “what if it might be Ed SHEERAN?”.
He got home and was in his room when the door bell rang. His mother opens the door and ED SHEERAN was standing in front of the door.
She didn’t recognise him, Ed asks if Jack is in and she called “Jack! It’s for you,his name is ED”. Jack startled up from his bed and ran downstairs, went to the door and was shocked when he saw Ed Sheeran standing on his door step. He quickly tells him to come in and they both went to the kitchen.
Ed tells Jack that he saw his song on TV(the interview), that it is good and that he has an act show starting on Tuesday and he is wondering if Jack would consider. Jack couldn’t believe it, he thanks him and told him yes.
Just then, Jack’s father walks into the kitchen looking for something and told Ed that he looks like ED SHEERAN; Ed stares blankly and said “I am Ed Sheeran”. Jack’s father replied “Alright, well done” and left the kitchen.
Jack goes to Elle’s and told her everything. She was shocked but said she can’t go with him because she is already occupied with her work as a school teacher.
He shakes his head to the thought that entered his mind but gave in and ended up going with ROCKY. A witty friend of his who just got fired for forgetting to go give a guitar on stage because he was discussing with Jack.
In the plane, once again he asks the hostess for a coke but she had no idea.
He performs. The crowd loves him but one man among the audience looks inquisitively and shocked.
After Ed Sheeran performs, he tells Jack that they should write a song and see whoever writes the best song in 10mins. Ed Sheeran writes and sings and after Jack sings, Ed Sheeran tells the audience that Jack is better than him and said he is going to bed.
After he left, a woman walks up to Jack and gives him a business proposal, that they should meet in her place in LOS ANGELES and talk.
Back home at SUFFOLK, Jack celebrates with his friends and family. While packing, tipsy Elle asks him how she got caught up in being in his friend zone; he stuttered but didn’t give a response because he was interrupted by his father who came to tell him that they are all waiting for him downstairs. But it is already clear that Elle is in love with Jack.
He arrives in LA in the woman’s house Debra, she offers and guarantees him money and fame through out his music career.
He is signed now and goes to record. He records ‘there comes the sun’ and ‘summer song’ (by the BEATLES).
While chilling with ROCKY he mentioned that sometimes he wish he asn’t given up smoking he would have just a murdered a ‘cigratte’ that moment: Rocky looks clueless and asks him what a ‘cigratte’ is. He browses and yells in shock as there isn’t a detail on the internet about ‘cigarettes’ just like The Beatles and Coke.
Debra decides to release some of the visuals online then, after changing and giving him an attractive image, they will start working on public/videos. He practices another song but struggles to remember their correct lyrics. By this time Jack already has positive feedbacks from million of fans.
Debra tells him to be back from his research trip on Friday because he has to be on THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN the next day.
Jack and Rocky visits STRAWBERRY BRIDGE and PENNY LANE for the researches so he can recall some of the lyrics of that particular song by The Beatles inspired by those areas. Unknowingly he was followed by a woman who knows something about The BEATLES.
Elle pays him a surprise visit. They go out to eat and played around in MERSEY TUNNEL.
Afterwards, they went to his hotel room together, they kissed but Elle breaks it off and says “it is probably a mistake to go further” because it will be a one night stand since he is going back to America the next day. She leaves.
Jack wakes up the next day by 11:00am and races with Rocky to catch Elle before she catches her train.
When he got to LIME STREET STATION, he felt disappointed when he realizes that he is late. He called her phone and found out that she is in a eatery right behind him.
Rocky reminded him that he has exactly 4mins left to go to the airport.
He sat down with Elle and tells her that he didn’t look at her that way but as a sister.
“I have been waiting half my life for you wake up and love me” Elle said as she just realises that she as been wasting her time. Rocky interrupts and says he has exactly 2 mins left.
Elle tells him to go and catch his plane. Jack says they haven’t finished their conversation. “We have. Unless you choose to stay “. Debra calls and pressures Jack to get on the plane, Elle persuades him to go. He left.
Jack is in a board meeting about his album release preparation and they are all intrigued to make the album with no collaboration and song written by Jack alone. Jack goes on the Late Late Show With James CORDEN. He works on his album with help from Ed Sheeran.
Elle calls to tell him she and Brian had started dating but he was rushed to end the call, he flips and yells at Debra and all the workers for clustering him and not giving him enough time to be on his own and can’t get inspirations from being choked around all the time.
Jack prepares to launch his album with some performances on the roof of PIER HOTEL. His parents, Elle and Brian were around.
A press conference is held and the man and woman who as always looked shocked any time he performs asks him some questions related to the original song writers and music group-The Beatles. Jack couldn’t answer the question. He is terrified. He performs.
After the performance, Rocky came to tell him that he has some visitors. The man and the woman who knows The Beatles walks in and they thanked him for relieving the songs and reminding them of The Beatles. Jack is shocked but relieved; he thought they were going to arrest him.They gave him the address of JOHN LENNON of THE BEATLES.
Jack goes to the address and met John Lennon who advices him to go after his love and tell everyone the truth when he can. Jack is overwhelmed and asks John for a hug and his age; John says he is 78. “Fantastic! You made it to 78!” Jack exclaimed in amazement.
“You are a very strange man, you need serious psychiatric help” John said in smiles and gave him a hug.
After Jack left John Lennon’s he calls Ed Sheeran immediately and asks him for a Favour.
In an Ed Sheeran’s concert, Elle, Nick, Brian, Mr and Mrs Malik and Debra are all there. Jack performs. Rocky goes to get Elle from the audience and takes her backstage, Jack stops singing and says he will like to introduce them to someone and the camera showed Elle backstage. Jack confesses his love for her and confesses that all the songs that he sung are written by JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, GEORGE HARRISON and RINGO STAR~THE BEATLES.The audience murmurs.Jack says he is not going to take any money for the works “so you can have all this songs for free. Rocky do it! They are being released online now”. Backstage, Rocky releases the songs online. Jack ends the speech in thanking them and telling Elle that he loves her. The audience cheers for him.
Jack and Elle meets outside, Brian gives them his approval and they had to run from the press, fans and Debra. Rocky held the crowds off. Flashbacks scenes of Elle and Jack together.
A few days later, Elle and Jack making out and he discovered HARRY POTTER is also forgotten when he mentioned it to her.
Jack and Elle gets married and his career took a turn with him being a music teacher. With a son and a daughter. Life goes on!
CAST
Jack Malik-HIMESH PATEL
Elle-LILY JAMES
Nick-HARRY MICHELL
Brian- VINCENT FRANKLIN
Rocky- JOEL FRY
Gavin-ALEXANDER ARNOLD
Debra Hammer-KATE MCKINNON
Carol-SOPHIA DI MARTINO
Lucy- ELISE CHAPPEL
Sheila Malik- MEERA SYAL
With ED SHEERAN
and MICHAEL KIWANUKA
Directed by: DANNY BOYLE
Script Supervisor:ZOE MORGAN
Screenplay by:RICHARD CURTIS
Story by:JACK BARTH & RICHARD CURTIS
Produced by: TIM BEVAN, ERIC FELLNER, MATTHEW JAMES WILKINSON, BERNARD BELLOW, RICHARD CURTIS & DANNY BOYLE.
Executive Producer:NICK ANGELEE BRAZIER & LIZA CHASIN.
Associate Producer: EMMA FREUD
Director of Photography:CHRISTOPHER OSS BSC
Production Designer: PATRICK ROLFE
Editor: JON HARRIS
Casting by:GAIL STEVENS CAD
A universal pictures presentation in association with PERFECT WORLD PICTURES .
A WORKING TITLE PRODUCTION.
A DANNY BOYLE FILM.
Duration: 112 Minutes.
