ONE DAY directed by Lone Scherfig (UK, 2011)
I loved David Nicholls’ novel and thought that a movie version would only work if they got the casting for the main characters right. I was wrong.
This is a rare instance where the actors are extremely well chosen but, even so, the story just doesn’t translate well to the big screen.
The plot device of jumping from year to year where we learn only about what happens on each successive St Swithen’s Day (15th July), is one that works well on the page but feels overly constrictive in cinematic terms.
Emma and Dexter pass years from 1988 onwards platonically and the question of will they or won’t they become more than just good friends keeps you hooked. It’s hard to not feel cheated that when they do actually do get it on, this occurs off camera i.e. not on the 15th July. Continue reading
One Day is the kind of book you want to press into the hands of all your friends and say ‘you must read this’.
