Very seldom in Hollywood are movies produced that are as emotionally involving as 'One Day.' It's a beautiful, beautiful love story of two people, Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dex (Jim Sturgess). After spending the night together after graduation, we are taken on a journey into their lives for one day each year after they met; to see where they are or where they're not. Based on the book by David Nicholls (who also wrote the screenplay), 'One Day' transitions from novel to film brilliantly.
First let me say film acting is what I believe makes or breaks a movie - if the actors are great, the movie is generally great. That's not to take away from any other element of film at all, but when everything else is done so well, if the acting were bad, the film would have been less memorable. But Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess are so very impressive here. They make their characters real and relatable, which are two key things every actor internally wishes they could do. In fact, as an on-screen pair, they work extremely well, together they exude chemistry.
What I found most interesting about the entire experience was that I cared so much. I became enamoured with their lives. I kept hoping for the best. I anticipated what would happen to each of them. I sat forward, sat backward. I laughed and I cried. I've said many times before, a great movie will effect you emotionally in more ways than one. You'll be angry, you'll be happy, you'll be sad - the key is that you emote. This movie presented all of those elements. It was fresh and witty and everything you hope a movie will be. It's as beautifully made as it is acted and the locations are exquisite. Far too often, characters in Hollywood seem contrived and are not genuine. 'One Day' is honestly one of the most genuine stories ever told - there is no instant gratification, there is however frustration and that is the beauty of it all. It explores love and love lost, it explores friendship and the constraints of time and distance. It explores each character's journey to happiness and the trials they face along the way. So many little pieces of the puzzle are filled in between the years by simple, single lines of dialogue or actions. It's not the typical script of "everything's all good-obstacle-everything ends well" - there's a lot more complexity which makes it realistically genuine.
So many little details, like eye-lines, smiles, sighs, cut-off conversations, etc. were paid attention to. The costuming, cinematography and score were spot on and all noteworthy. All of it combined was moving and awe-inspiring. I left the theater crying, but it didn't stop there, even thinking about the movie and those characters is deeply affecting. Maybe there are some underlying themes in the film that I'm identifying with, or maybe, just maybe the actors were really that great. Whatever it is, this film comes with my highest recommendation, is rated PG-13 and runs 107 minutes.
