Yesterday evening, whilst my sister was off galevanting around the Peek District with her school, my parents and I decided to go watch the latest novel adaptation at the cinema, David Nicholls' One Day.
*Warning: Spoilers*
One Day tells the story of Emma Morley and Dexter Meyhew and covers their lives on the 15th July (also known as St. Swithin's Day) every day for twenty years, beginning on the day of their graduation in Edinburgh in 1998.
Emma (Anne Hathaway) is an smart, ordinary/unattractive working-class woman educated in Yorkshire at the local state school with few social skills and self-belief but a keen wit, whilst Dexter (Jim Sturgess) is a handsome, superficial upper-middle-class Wykehamist (a former pupil of Winchester College) with self-confidence to spare.
They meet (well, properly. They'd met for the first time when he crashed her birthday party, spilled red wine down her top and called her Julie) at the crack of dawn after a group of friends go out celebrating after graduation and, as the sun is rising start to break off and go home. Em, invites Dex back to her place where the potential night of passion gives way to an underwhelming cuddle and sets the story where the pair grow to become good friends and a shoulder to cry on during the years that follow.
After that it becomes an up and down as to will they get together oh wait maybe not, but how about now and oh no, they're off with that person.
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| Cover artwork for the novel |
For once, this was a book I was not familiar with before seeing its adaptation on the big screen. Normally I've either read the book beforehand, such as Water For Elephants, Eragon and The Hunger Games and others I read when I heard they are becoming films, such as The Time Traveller's Wife and The Lord of the Rings. This meant I was not prepared for one particular plot twist ... Emma's quick and untimely death. Whizzing along happily on her cute old bicycle (complete with wicker basket at the front) she zooms out of a passageway straight into the line of a lorry. She doesn't make it. And the image of her lying on the road taking her last breath as you hear the answering message left to the husband, how she was sorry for the fight that morning, that she would be back late and yes, she loved him. What I got most from that moment was not the tear running down his cheek as he lay in bed that night, knowing that his wife would not actually be coming back, not late, not ever but the fact that everyone in the audience either gasped or jumped in their seat (my mother did both and the elderly ladies in the row in front had tissues out when the lights went up).
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| Theatrical release poster |
The bit I enjoyed best was seeing Emma in Paris. With a Roman Holiday Audrey Hepburn-esque bob, little white gloves, cute detailed cap-sleeved blouse, pale-green pencil skirt and T-bar heels she oozes Parisian chic, charm and sophistication. Her other French outfit shows her in a beautiful blue halter-neck dress with black-and-white slingback heels. Truly lovely.
Overall, I enjoyed the film but it is not one I would rush back to the cinema and see again (I would like to go see The Help, one of the trailers we caught before the film began). It's cute, but we spent most of our time wishing that the two protagonists would simply get on with it and get together and wondering if they did have any other friends at all because I simply cannot understand what Emma was thinking when she decided to date wannabe comedian Ian (Rafe Spall, son of Timothy Spall, who else?).
The film, like it's characters, cannot decide what it is. It's certainly no romantic comedy, yet it lacks the depth and power of a good romantic drama.
Rating: three stars out of five. I wouldn't pick it out at a friends house when selecting DVDs, but I wouldn't walk out the room if it were on. It is enjoyable, but not too memorable and not a favourite.
Favourite Part: Anne's Audrey Hepburn-esque ensemble in Paris. Tres belle!
Worst Part: Anne's accent. I didn't know whether she was saying some things as a joke!
Emma: "Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today. I'll always remember it."
Emma: "Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today. I'll always remember it."
