Review - One Day

Anyone who’s read David Nicholls’s international best-seller will know that One Day the movie has colossal shoes to fill. We first encounter Dexter and Emma on the night of their graduation, as they share the kind of one night stand that manages to be both cringeworthy and remarkably endearing at the same time. From there on the plot chronicles the lives, loves and losses of the two protagonists, whose paths occasionally intertwine over the following twenty years and often with heartbreaking results.  

As you may have deduced from the synopsis, One Day is a story about the changes and compromises we go through as we grow older and the way they inevitably affect our relationships. It also functions as an insightful expose on the radical changes Britain has gone through between 1988 and 2007 (hard to believe it wasn’t that long ago that cell phones were considered extravagances).  

But herein lies the film's big problem. One Day the novel is a profound experience because it allows pause for reflection and the luxury of returning to the next chapter the following night once the thought-provoking themes have sunk in. In stark contrast, Lone Scherfig’s film (which David Nicholls happened to adapt) must wrap up twenty years of desire and inner turmoil in just 108 minutes and as a result, it feels like a rushed and largely unfocused affair.

Gone are the inner monologues that made Dexter and Emma’s story a beguiling joy to read, as are a number of set-pieces and supporting characters that would’ve made for a more memorable rom-com. The hilarious excerpt in which an inebriated Dexter haplessly tries to put his baby daughter to sleep is sadly absent, while the character of Suki Meadows (a ditzy TV presenter so deafening, her dialogue in the book is written ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN CAPITALS) is reduced to a mere cameo. At least Emma’s boyfriend Ian has not been dropped from the ensemble and Rafe Spall has the part of the doleful wannabe comedian down to a T.   

In all fairness, the performances can hardly be faulted. Sure, Anne Hathaway’s accent may be all over the place (what is that, Yorkshire via SoCal?) but whenever she’s on screen with Jim Sturgess they’re a perfect match. She’s the naive idealist who wants to make a difference in the world but is perennially stuck in disheartening jobs and half-hearted relationships. He’s the swaggering toff with a drinking problem and an attachment to his mother that occasionally borders on Oedipal. Yet somehow, like in all great romances, these two flawed individuals seem to perpetually bring out the best in each other.

If you are a loyal fan of the book, chances are you’ll think Nicholls hasn't done his own work any justice. What’s been lauded as a deeply affecting modern romance in literary circles has unfortunately translated into an average Brit rom-com. By all means, if you are a sucker for average Brit rom-coms, you will not be disappointed. Just don’t think you’ll be remembering this one for the next twenty years.

3/5