One Day Movie Review

When I reviewed One Day this past June, I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation over the film adaptation. I fell in love with the story, fell in love with Emma and Dex. It's a spell-binding, magical tale of love and friendship that slaps you in the head with its blinding ending. The pace is magnificent, and the attention to detail really makes you feel like you're experiencing all these things with Emma and Dex.

I was so pleased with the film, for a few reasons. First, David Nicholls (the author) also wrote the script, which pretty much guaranteed that the movie would honor the book, which it did. And the few places it wavered--I liked them even more. They made sense, cinematically. Not all scenes in a book translate well to the screen; sometimes the drama needs to be heightened, the senses assaulted in a different way. And this adaptation did a fantastic job staying true to the novel while taking liberties that made the film version even more engaging.

Jim Sturgess is amazing. I can't say enough good things about how wonderfully he portrayed Dexter. He was absolutely perfect in this role. Dex was the character who moved me the most in the book, perhaps because he's the character who goes through the most change. And, in the end, he's the character who has to live through numerous personal tragedies. I love Anne Hathaway, and in many ways, I think she embodied Emma very well. But her British accent is just awful. A few times, it even sounded like she slipped into an Irish or Scottish brogue. She had the face and personality for this character, but her voice was painfully distracting. But the two of them together? Pretty perfect. They played off each other so well, and the chemistry was definitely there. And since the whole story is about this deep-rooted and undeniable connection between two characters--despite how long it takes them to realize and then accept it--finding actors who could really become these two people was so important and necessary for the film's success.

In the end, the love is center-stage, as it should be. And, happily, the film producers didn't pull a My Sister's Keeper  and completely change the ending. It's a rough ending; I've said that a few times. But I love the way the film does it, and I especially loved the final scene. It sounds corny to say it was beautiful, but it was. I was moved. It was something extremely special to watch on screen, especially after reading the book. They did a wonderful, lovely, careful job with an ending that is, at the very least, extremely emotional. But it's poetic. And stunning. It's not a Disney tale of a prince or princess, but it has that true-love-never-dies quality to it. The message that real, genuine love is beyond the grasp of everything in the world. It's a story of hope. And, despite everything you watch over the course of the almost two-hour film, you'll leave the theater with a smile on your face and a slightly damp tissue in your pocket.

Photos courtesy of Google Images, and video courtesy of YouTube

One Day

Written by David Nicholls


Synopsis: It's 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day--July 15--of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.


My Confession: I'd been wanting to read this book for quite some time, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit that it was the film version (which looks rather good, by the way) which lit a fire under me to finally pick it up. And I loved it. Every single, love-struck, frustrating, devastating page. This is a love story. This is the way love should be written about. This book has so much heart. The best part about it is that the relationship between Dexter and Em is far from perfect; in fact, they don't see each other every year on July 15. Their lives take them different places and in different directions. They both screw up, they both love other people. But in the end, the undeniable tug toward each other just steals the show.


Dexter Drama: One of the main criticisms I've seen for this book is the supposed "unlikable and shallow" character of Dex Mayhew. I'll be the first person to say that Dex does come off as selfish, daft, lazy, narcissistic, and blind to all the good in his life. He takes Emma for granted for most of the book and makes more mistakes than most people get away with in life. However, despite his hopeless flaws, I find Dex a wonderfully refreshing and realistic character. Yes, he's an ass. Yes, he uses people and struggles with personal relationships. But at his core, we're supposed to believe that Dex is a good person with a good heart. And no matter where his drama takes him throughout the book, no matter how many women he sleeps with or how his alcoholism ravages a promising career, I never doubted that he loved Emma with every fiber of his being. 


His love for her makes him a redeemable character. I've known guys like Dex: guys who act like big shots; guys who think they are going to become famous and "make something" of themselves; guys who come across as having gigantic egos; guys who love pretty women and have trouble settling down. But at the end of the day, I've learned that those guys can also be charming, endearing, and just plain good. Maybe it's that connection that left me enjoying the refreshing way Dex was written. He's not Prince Charming; that's not the point. He's real. And it works.


The ending: Hated it. Loathed it. Couldn't sleep after I read it. But that's what makes it a great ending. Emotionally, I wanted to rip Nicholls a new one, but I truly appreciate how deeply this book hit me. There hasn't been a story that kicked me in the gut as hard as this one. I got so attached to the characters, so attached to the story, and when it was over, I wanted more. I'm very curious to see how the movie handles this, as the ending is far from prettily Hollywood. I won't go into specifics, but somehow, after spending a few days thinking about it, the ending makes sense for the story. It resonates. As it should. 


Recommendation: Read it. It's magical. It provides that sweetness of romance with the bluntness of reality, a feat that's difficult to accomplish. Love can become cliche, but One Day cleanly rides the line between saccharine and harsh. You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll probably go see the film and bemoan Anne Hathaway's fake British accent (I love her, but...no). You won't be able to put this one down, or stop thinking about it for days to come.


Rating: 5/5


437 pages, published by Hodder & Stoughton (April 13, 2004)