When I got the chance to attend the preview of One Day, it was a prompt: “YES PLEASE! …Ahem. Don’t mind if I do…’
A realistic love story about how nerdy Emma Morley, (Anne Hathaway) and her cool-guy best friend Dexter Mayhew (Jeff Sturgess) grow up together, it was adapted to the big screen from David Nicholls’ international bestselling novel.
You might know Sturgess from being in such movies as 21 with Kevin Spacey, Crossing Over with Harrison Ford and the Other Boleyn Girl with Scarlett Johansson. Or you may just know him from being a complete knockout. Although I have noticed him in his previous debuts, believe me, he really looks jaw-droppingly handsome in this one. I must have looked a tad odd, as my mouth was hanging open in awe for the entire film.
A raw, frustrating and star-crossed love story about two best friends who are on two different paths but clearly adore each other, Em and Dex (as they are called) bring you through their whirlwind lives from College until the end, as we catch up with them every year on the 15th of July (the day they met).
I had just started reading the book five days before the movie: Stupidly opening it on the bus and reaching the end of the first chapter before nearly missing my stop. Being a ‘book always dominates movie’ kinda gal, I stuck my nose in, determined to finish it before the big screen warped the characters I had imagined in my head.
After hearing raving reviews about Nicholls’ bestselling paperback, I have to admit I was a tiny bit disappointed it wasn’t the most amazing thing in the universe. (Damn high expectations – always ruining things).
On finishing the ‘good-but-a-little-disappointing’ book I then heard Anne Hathaway was cast as the main character in the film, Emma Morley. Cue cringing at about how bad it might be: Americans trying to fill pure-Brit roles can be a complete hit or miss. Surprisingly, I discovered it to be the former.
In fact, I found myself thinking for the first time in my life that the movie was actually better (or if not just as good) as the book. Felt weird even typing that.
The film was actually adapted to the screen by the author himself; who re-wrote it into a screen-play, which I think helped to maintain the natural flow of the story. The love story by Nicholls was beautifully portrayed on the screen and almost seemed better represented in moving colour and picture. He retained the right scenes, altered others a small bit to invoke the right amount of emotion, and omitted ones which weren’t really missed. All in all, it was the right package.
As for Anne Hathaway’s so-called awful attempt at a British accent, I didn’t notice it at all, and in some parts was pretty impressed with her twang. To me her accent seemed to fit in nicely around the other actor’s, so I didn’t notice if she was ‘5 km too west of the midlands’ or whatever people were moaning about.
What did you guys think of it? Yay or Nay?
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