One day

Lone Scherfig with this adaptation of the successful romantic novel of the same name, brings to life a tale of two people that is told by checking in on them on July 15 every year through two decades.

Director: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess
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Lone Scherfig (most recently known for directing An Education) with this adaptation of the successful romantic novel of the same name, brings to life a tale of two people that is told by checking in on them on July 15 every year through two decades.

Starting in 1988 with their graduation from university in Edinburgh, we follow idealistic Emma (Hathaway) and the charming Dexter (Sturgess), who get acquainted on graduation day and begin a friendship that follows them through the decades.

As the years roll by, we see them in various situations, but always held together by the connection they share. Perhaps some things just do not translate to the big screen, or perhaps the slightly new narrative twists (added by author David Nicholls, who also wrote the script) were one modification too far, but One Day lacks the emotional impact the book was famous for.

The leads work well together but are held back by cheap sentimentalism when we should be on a journey with the characters. Opting to lend more from "weepies" gone by than the source material, Scherfig still manages to evoke a lump in the throat by the end. Still, this story of two lives intertwined should be far more powerful than it is.