Rent One Day on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: David Nicholls (screenplay), David Nicholls (book)
Directed by: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
A series of snapshots on the same day each year chronicling the friendship of Dexter (Jim Sturgess) and Emma (Anne Hathaway).
Verdict
One Day could
have been tighter paced, but it's meandering is also part of the charm.
Life has it's ups and downs, but this movie has a
distinct destination. It has a great, if not bittersweet ending.
Spanning twenty-three years, love, life, and tragedy occur as we check in on two characters on July 15.
Watch it.
Review
It's a unique situation when the guy and girl don't get together. Emma
and Dexter meet after graduation and for whatever reason don't follow
through on a one night stand. I wasn't sure about Hathaway employing a
British accent, but she's not bad. The movie plays up the subtlety of
the relationship, leaving us wondering will they or won't they.
We follow their trajectories through the years. Emma is working in a
restaurant, going to school to become a teacher. Dexter snags a job as a
late night television host. She gets an annoying boyfriend, though we
know she can do better. Dexter has a string of girlfriends, but he
doesn't seem interested. This movie captures the little things in life,
how people change, come together, and drift apart. The actors have great chemistry and snappy dialog. Emma sarcastically
tells Dexter, " If i can't talk to you, what is the point of you?" We
know the dialog is flirty, and we feel like they want to be together. We
root for them and the movie knows this, teasing us throughout. The
scenes where the two interact are good, but there are many scenes where
they aren't together which drag.
 |
| One Day -An endearing, well-written love story. |
Emma publishes a children's' book. As she becomes successful, Dexter is
fired from his television gig and later gets a divorce. It's revealed to
the viewer his wife was having an affair, leaving us to wonder if he
ever found out. Finally the movie makes good on it's promise. Emma and Dexter get
together, but it's only for a brief moment. In a big surprise I didn't
see coming, elevating this movie above a typical romance flick, Emma is
killed. Dexter's coping method is a perpetual drunken stupor. He's not
just hurting himself, but his daughter from his previous marriage.
One of the final scenes inter-cuts Dexter taking his daughter for a walk
against the first day Dexter and Emma met and walked to the same
place. It's revealed that Dexter and Emma had decided to get together,
though it seemed like they hadn't. Their plans are interrupted by
Dexter's parents, but they stay friends. It's a stellar bit of editing
that crafts a solid ending.
Throughout the movie as the year appears on screen, it's edited into
the scenery and background really well, taking that extra bit of time.
This is a well-crafted movie with a very good script.
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