2011. Dir: Lone Scherfig. Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Rafe Spall and Ken Stott. ●●●○○
One Day is a beloved book. David Nicholl's 2009 romantic novel spent an age at the top of the best-selling lists, won the 2010 Galaxy book of the year and inspired dozens of books clubs to cluck over the changing fortunes of Em and Dex. I hated it, but it succeeds at what it tries to achieve.
The 2011 page to screen adaptation has crashed and burnt on the international box office, taking just $21m so far in global sales and failing to even achieve the number one spot in the UK. Fans of the novel have nitpicked over every details, loathing the cuts and despairing of Anne Hathaway's accent. I liked it, but it fails to hits it's goals.
I say all this to illustrate the massive gap between the written word and cinematic art, between our expectations of literature of film, between each patrons empathy and understanding of the characters and situations presented. Or one man's meat is another man's poison.
The central conceit of the novel is that it follows our soulmates over 20 anniversaries of their first meeting, catching up with their trials and tribulations by presenting their thoughts on each St. Swithin's Day between 1988 and 2008. In the novel there is political and cultural parallels to the death of yuppieism and disillusionment with New Labour which are jettisoned for the film and replaced with sly commentary on changing fashion and technological advances (curiously though Emma local swimming baths remain freakishly unchanged for the majority of the films running time, no neo-facist supergym identity or slide concessions there).
Although plenty of experience of romantic comedy staples will ensure all readers/viewers are keenly aware Em and Dex are meant to be together they both drift aimlessly away from each other for the majority of the novel, delving into increasingly unsuitable relationships and experiencing alternating highs and lows of personal and professional success. Only in the final reel when Dex has had fatherhood thrust upon him and Em finds hidden layers in confidence through her children's novels can either character grow up and admit to the mutual attraction and the necessary compromises and strains in any relationship. In the novel we get an insight into the motivations of the central couple, experience their inner monologues each year to feel their yearning, and yet oddly it's only in the film that I fully appreciated the relationship had to wait for 17 years before it had a ghost of a chance of succeeding, that until then it would have failed.
That success lies in the casting of the central couple. Anne Hathaway has form playing the intelligent girl refusing to trade on her looks (Devil Wears Prada, to some extent Love and Other Drugs), and indeed she doesn't disappoint, underplaying the caustic Em and allowing the vulnerability to shine through. (To address the elephant in the room the accent was fine, inconsistent but only in a "I have a regional accent that I'm ashamed of" way which worked in the context of a de-politicised movie but would not have been the accent of the Trotskyite anti-war demonstrator we have in the novel). Sturgess too is on top form, humanising the frankly ghastly Dexter, a character I despised in the novel, his haunting eyes remind us through the 'Largin' It' period of ultra-excess that underneath the coke-snorting swagger there's a little boy who's lost his ability to communicate with real people.
Rafe Spall is also deservedly picking up plaudits as Emma's long term boyfriend Ian, a failed stand-up with a manic desire to please and an instinctive shuffling presence. Although like in the novel there's little explanation to why the couple ended up settling for each other as both seem to be aware there's no future in the relationship. Ken Stott also does a fine job as Dex's father, stand-offish and decidedly British the one to one he has with Dex at the end is knowing and full of acceptance of their shared experiences.
Why then, if the performances are generally so good, does this film fail? It's purely because Nicholl's has adapted it from his highly acclaimed book. Being keenly aware of the fans delight in seeing their favourite scenes and hearing their favourite quotes he over-indulges their fantasies retaining the idealised language and packing in the most delicious incidents. And whilst pronouncements such as "If I could give you just one gift, do you know what it would be? Confidence. That or a scented candle." or "I love you, Dex, so much. I just don't like you anymore." are just as delightful on the screen as you would hope the average five and a bit minutes per year gets exhausting. By messing with the timelines and reducing the number of visits, as sacrilegious as that sounds, might has eased that tension. Really what was the point of playing "Where are you Moriaty?" without any understanding of the rules or context of the game, except to please the hardcore fans, and when a year is reduced to three strokes in the pool you have to wonder why it was worth even putting up the graphic.
Spoilers in the net paragraph - I couldn't think of another way of explaining my dislike of one one plot element.
I also have a big problem with the ending of the film, no not 2006 with it's crushing inevitability, but the storyline that links 05 to 06, given the lack of time spent on Em's maternal ambitions and the weight of the final conclusion it seems like a faked pass in very poor taste.
Spoilers over now.
Lone Scherfig directs with the same crisp detachment that she made An Education but without the purposeful plot of her previous films more was needed to keep the audience engaged.
Overall whilst One Day is nice enough and a passable way to spend a lazy afternoon it can only really be considered as a disappointment to the legion of book-lovers to whom this adaptation was squarely aimed.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
One Day
Friday, 26 August 2011
How deep is Beauty? (Out this week - 26/08/11)
How can one week look so interesting and yet so weak at the same time. On one end of the scale we have a couple of utter flops that are fighting for the teen audience, whilst at the other there's a (not totally successful) chick-lit adaptation and a Spanish melohorror which are both appealing to me. Of course it's Almodovar who wins out so the runs like a gay film of the week is The Skin I Live In.
The Skin I Live In
Marking their sixth collaboration together, and the first since 1990's Tie me Up, Tie me Down, we have Pedro Almodovar and Antonio Banderas genre-bending in this mad scientist picture. Reviews from Cannes and since have emphasised the high camp that harkens back to the Universal monster heyday.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
One Day
It's disgustingly widely read, even I felt the need to turn the pages of David Nicholls' addictive novel, so was always going to face the wrath of the fans on it's release and early reviews have not been kind. That said I didn't like the book so I expect I will like the film!
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Conan the Barbarian
From what I hear this muscle-bound remake really helps you to appreciate the simplicity and strong plotting of Arnie's original. Jason Momoa gets to wear very little as the titular hero, and amazingly they hired Morgan Freeman to narrate!
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Kill the Irishman
Ultra limited release for this surprisingly starry biopic of longshoreman and gangster Danny Greene who wanted a cut of the Cleveland crime scene without paying respects to the Mafia. Look out for Vincent D'Onoforio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken in supporting roles.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
R: Hit First, Hit Hardest
Danish prison drama that does what it says on the tin, expect brutal inmate on inmate violence and maybe some messing with the screws. By way of a twist the central story recounts the friendship between two inmates of radically different racial and religious upbringings.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
As Blood Runs Deep
Another one of those heavy casts of good looking young Americans, a selection of wannabes and nearly were's whose career's hover a step above direct to video. There's been a murder in a close knit community and whilst they appear to be trying to work with the police I smell a conspiracy.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Final Destination 5
Yet another instalment for this utterly preposterous horror franchise with DEATH chasing at the heels of a horde of survivors from a special effects heavy bridge collapse. As ever the most fun will be trying to work out what everyday object holds the key to the characters demise.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Powder
Oddly this dark comedy about the British indie music scene, with all it's ups, downs and general depravity is an American film, which does make you wonder about the state of the British film industry - probably more than you worry about the music at least.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Tuesday Trailers - One Day
Tuesday trailers are back - something that always makes me a little happy as it means good movies (or at least ones I really want to see) are on their way. At the end of August we'll get the big-screen adaptation of David Nicholls' bestseller. Personally I wasn't much of a fan of the novel - both of the characters irritated me - but I can certainly see the cinematic potential of revisiting the same characters once a year to see how their lives change.
One Day opens on 26 August 2011.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
20 for 2011: 10 - One Day
Moving into our top ten we have literary adaptation One Day.
After the critical and commercial set back that was Love and Other Drugs Anne Hathaway is in dire need of a rom com success story, and this could just be it. Set over a period of 20 years David Nicholl's self adapted screenplay follows Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) on every St. Swinthins day as their lives intertwine and the romance they should have had drifts apart and together again. It's a delicious concept about fate and patience and making the best of what you have - both of them get involved in hideously inappropriate relationships along the way.
Unfortunately I recently read the novel and by the end I simply couldn't care about the characters. The traits Nicholl gives them to make them rounded or more realistic are just about enough to ensure both of the leads are irritating. Hopefully the screen version has managed to tidy this up - I hope so for Anne sake.
To my shame this is the only film in the 20 most anticipated directed by a woman, An Education helmer Lone Scherfig. Sarah Polley's Take this Waltz and Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood just missed the cut. Should I have included anything else?
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Film News (29/05/10)
Did everyone enjoy the Cannes results last weekend, as much as I respect the judges opinions I think we can safely say the results this year, as will many of the films presented, will be relevant only to Cannes history and are unlikely to affect the movie going public. If Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives even gets a UK release I will be pleasantly shocked. Moving on to the rest of th news there's been nothing earth shattering but these small stories have got my attention.
One Day
Did you know An Education helmer Lone Scherfig was making a rip off of Same Time Next Year? If so why didn't you tell me, I am quite curious. The premise of two romantic partners who meet one day every year (in this version it's on St Swithuns Day, 15 July) for twenty years is certainly stolen from the 1978 Robert Mulligan film, but I'm interested to see how Lone can update the rather cliched story (the character arcs are so obvious) and what she can do to make it less stagey. The casting certainly looks good with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in the leading roles. 
St. Swithun, Bishop of Winchester from 852-862, is primarily known for the proverb:
St Swithun's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain no more
I'm not sure how that will be worked into the plot.
Read on for a Bruce Willis double, a really unlikely Sinatra and more titbits from Paul Thomas Anderson. As well as the latest shifts in UK box office releases.
Kane & Lynch/The Tomb
Bruce Willis (left) is not generally an actor that I wil queue up to see, in fact the last time I saw him in a leading role was 2006's 16 Blocks (I know, I know). But these two films both look like they could be fun and may just bring me back to reappraise his work. Kane & Lynch has been hanging around for some time, adapted from a computer game it sees two death row inmates escape and search for a stolen fortune. Kane (Willis) is a badass mercenary, Lynch (to be played by Jamie Foxx) is a schizophrenic. Doesn't that just sound barmy enough to work?
The Tomb is weirder still with master architect (Willis again) finding himself incarcerated in the inescapable prison he designed. He must find a way out and bring the people responsible for putting him there behind bars. Maybe it's a little too high concept or similar to "Prison Break" for it's own good, but it should be another chance for wisecracking Willis to perform.
Sinatra
Martin Scorsese is thinking of casting Al Pacino as Sinatra and Robert De Niro as Dean Martin in his forthcoming biopic - according to his comments on the Indian press circuit with Shutter Island. My message to Marty. Please don't do that, it's a big big mistake, don't go for names, find someone who can do the role without a load of baggage. Thank you.
Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson project
PT Anderson's new religion movie, which almost certainly isn't about Scientology (in spite of any superficial similarites) has gained a leading lady with Reese Witherspoon eyeing the project. She's a good actress, but she needs direction so her performance my well depend on the type of project this is. If it's an ensemble piece then she do well, if it's going o focus on Philip Seymour Hoffman's fanatic then expect Reese to irritate from the sidelines. We'll see.
I'm short of picture concepts today - so that's Reese in a dress on a red carpet.
Release Date News
Knight & Day - I do believe that Tom Cruise himself is afraid of clashing with World Cup football, how else do you explain the shift in release date of his latest caper until after the competition. Become a rogue agent on 06 August 2010.
The Town - Ben Affleck's last directorial gig was a surprise critical hit, unfortunately he's replaced his incredibly talented brother with his wooden self in this Bank Robber follow-up. Develop a Stockholm complex on 08 October 2010.
The Debt - The English language remake of the anti-Mossad Isreali picture couldn't be better timed, what with the Dubai assassination still big news. We'll just have to see if the marketing team use that. Find someone you thought was dead on 15 October 2010.
Social Network - David Fincher's facebook chronology may have shifted it's release date to clash with the film above, but I doubt there will be many crossover fans. Update your status on 15 October 2010.
Green Hornet - There have been rumours of bad test screenings, studio interference and 3D reshoots, but we'll never know the real truth abouth the delay of this winter blockbuster. Get a martial arts expert as a sidekick on 14 January 2011.
Cheaters - The Vince Vaughn/Ron Howard collaboration may have only just started filming, but they're obviously expecting a quick edit looking at the release date. Catch your best mates girl playing away on 21 January 2011.
Somewhere - Stephen Dorff is set to be wandering dreamily round his hotel reconnecting with his daughter really soon now, why not try to imagine how closely this will resemble Lost in Translation now. Let the world float by on 04 March 2011.
Straw Dogs - I don't really believe this release date, after all Rod Lurie's revenge drama has already had three of them. We'll see how long it takes before this is whisked away. Try to get on with the locals on 28 October 2011.
The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn - It's a new record, a release date in 545 days time. Of course Spielberg's involved so everything we know about film marketing is likely to be wrong. Whoah whoah on 25 November 2011.
