Movie Review: One Day

As book-to-film adaptations go, this one falls somewhere between extremely well done and tolerably done, and I can't really pinpoint where on the spectrum it fits.  I do think if a viewer hadn't read the novel before seeing the film they might have enjoyed it more than I did, simply because it was so fresh in my mind and I was busy cataloging omissions and alterations.  That said, I found it very watchable in spite of myself.

Most of my hunches about this film turned out to be right.  It was produced by Focus Features, which guaranteed a certain artistry and visual appeal, so I was not let down there.  Anne Hathaway and particularly Jim Sturgess gave solid performances, and Sturgess was particularly heartbreaking in his portrayal of Dexter's downward spiral.  Additionally, the under-utilized Patricia Clarkson was great as Dexter's ailing mother, and I definitely wouldn't have been opposed to seeing a bit more from her.  I knew going into the movie that it was going to be difficult to translate a lot of the character's interiority that we get to see in the novel, and that is probably where the film suffers the most.  Someone mentioned in another review that it was hard to figure out at times why these character stuck by one another for so long (particularly Emma once Dexter started evolving into a grade-A jerk), and I could see how this was a problem-- the book just does a much better job explaining why they each need each other so much, but in a way that couldn't really have been put onscreen unless they inserted a lot of monologue-ing, which would definitely have gotten old.  For similar reasons some of the movie's segments felt rushed, like they were jumping from year to year too quickly and not giving us enough time to immerse ourselves in each episode individually. 

All these problems were minor for me because I'd more or less expected them, and if you do the same you'll probably enjoy the film for what it accomplishes, which is a convincing portrayal of a modern love story, complete with realistic obstacles and outcomes.  One thing that was very frustrating for me, however, was how one-sided the writers/directors made things in the first third or so of the film-- it definitely looked as though Emma was (even a bit stupidly) head over heels for Dexter while he had her firmly in the "friend zone," when in the novel this was not the case.  There is a great "almost" moment regrettably omitted from the film in which we see Dexter drunkenly compose a lengthy letter to Emma during these very early stages of their romance, confessing some of his feelings and begging her to meet him in India.  In the novel he never sends the letter, but the feeling of "what could have been" achieves a very strong sense of emotional connection that not only helps the reader stick with Dexter when he slides the slippery slope into douche-dom, but also establishes a fear on both characters' parts of actively pursuing their love for the other, one that lingers for many years to come.  I think this might have been the most grievous omission from the film, because it could have conveyed so much in such a brief and simple way.

For all my complaining, though, I enjoyed the film.  It was equal parts romantic (and at times cheesy) and funny, just like the novel.  The way the last few chapters of Emma and Dexter's story were handled was particularly affecting, and it will probably tug more than a few tears from you.  But perhaps the best part of the film is that it really does retain the "real" factor of the book, allowing the audience to feel a larger connection with these two very ordinary characters who happen to stumble upon something much larger than either of them.