This film is a sort of alternate reality-type film involving The Beatles.
Summary
-In an alternate reality where The Beatles never existed, a struggling musician wakes up one day to realize that he's the only one who remembers The Fab Four
-Himesh Patel: Jack Malik
-Lily James: Ellie Appleton
-Sophia Di Martino: Carol
-Ellise Chappell: Lucy
-Meera Syal: Sheila Malik
-Harry Michell: Nick
-Vincent Franklin: Brian
-Joel Fry: Rocky
-Sanjeev Bhaskar: Jed Malik
-Himesh Patel did all of his own singing and guitar playing
-The only input from the surviving members of The Beatles was approving use of their music
-One early idea was the color purple not existing anywhere. This is a reference to legendary rock band Deep Purple. In this concept, the band would have been called Deep Orange. The idea was scrapped because it would have been too much work to keep people from wearing anything purple
-On the flight to Liverpool from Los Angeles, the camera stops on the front of the airport. The name reads "Liverpool International Airport". In real life, the name of the airport in Liverpool reads "Liverpool John Lennon Airport"
-Initially, Sir Paul McCartney thought this film was a dumb idea until he heard that Danny Boyle was directing it. Instead of accepting an invitation to see it, he went into a movie theater to see it while he was on vacation with his wife. He said "We were on vacation in The Hamptons in the summer and there it was, so we got two tickets and walked in when the cinema went dark. Only a couple of people saw us. We were in the back row, giggling away, especially at all the mentions of me. A couple of people in front of us spotted us, but everyone else was watching the film. We loved it."
-Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal, who play Jack's parents Jed and Sheila, have been married since 2005
-Similar to what was done in the film Across the Universe, where characters were named in reference to Beatles songs, the same concept was done here. Characters in this film were named in reference to Beatles songs. Rocky, who is the temporary road manager, is named after "Rocky Raccoon". Ellie, Jack's girlfriend, is named after "Eleanor Rigby". This, ironically, is the one song Jack cannot remember or has trouble remembering. Ellie's second name is Appleton, a reference to the Apple Records founded by The Beatles. Ellie's roommate is Lucy, a reference to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".
-In the scenes leading up to the blackout, the eerie music is the crescendo from "A Day in the Life" is playing. It's played later on the film
-The debut concert Jack performs at on the roof of the Pier Hotel is a nod to the famous rooftop concert The Beatles performed at during Let It Be (1970)
-The concert scene was filmed in Gorleston, a beach town in Norfolk. Local residents were brought in to act as extra for the crowd
-While out and about in Liverpool, Jack sees a headstone for Eleanor Rigby. This was a real grave in the Woolton church graveyard. Despite never being confirmed as inspiration for the song of the same name, John Lennon worked at the church, learning to ring bells and would have spent considerable time playing in the graveyard. But the song was written by Paul McCartney
-Ed Sheeran, who appears as himself in this film, stated The Beatles are the inspiration for his songs
-When Jack exits the airport, he is seen pursued by screaming girls. This is a nod to the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night
-Gavin, who owns the music studio, has the iconic Beatles haircut
-Jack was told that he is unique as a singer-songwriter. He replies by mentioning various famous singer-songwriters. While it can be that without The Beatles influence, none of them would have been as successful, James Taylor is one exception. His break into success came in 1968 when Peter Asher, one half of the group Peter and Gordon and the brother of Paul McCartney's one time fiancee Jane Asher, signed Taylor to Apple Records
-The way the movie's title is written is identical to the way that The Beatles wrote their name, even down to the dropped T. The poster for the film shows Jack crossing the zebra crossing (cross walk to those who live in the US), similar to the front of The Beatles Abbey Road album
-In the closing credits, any cast member with a letter B in their names, the B is enlarged
-This film takes place in Lowestoft, in Suffolk. The Beatles played at the Royal Hotel there in 1963
-While looking through his collection of records, Jack comes across an album by David Bowie. David Bowie's first number one song in the US was "Fame". He co-wrote this with John Lennon. The album it was from was Young Americans. It features a cover of The Beatles song "Across the Universe"
-Because of this movie, production on the final installment of the James Bond series, 2021's No Time to Die, was delayed
-There was a scene filmed in the Birkenhead Tunnel. This location was used in various other films as well, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. I (2010), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) and Bulletproof (2018)
-Strangely enough, one of the video assistants for additional photography is named George Harrison, who shares a name with one part of the famous Fab Four
-In one scene towards the end of the film, Jack and his family are seen riding a spiral slide called a Helter-Skelter, which is popular at many British fairs and also the name of a Beatles song
-While in L.A., Jack's agent hears Jack tell her he needs to go to Liverpool for a few days for inspiration. She asks him what does Liverpool have that L.A. does not. He states Mo Sallah as one. Mo Sallah is an Egyptian soccer player (footballer) who plays for the Liverpool-based football team Liverpool FC
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