Movie Review...

SPOILERS. STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS MOVIE.

Last night, I had the opportunity to go to the movies with my friend and, do to scheduling issues, we went to see One Day starring Anne Hathaway (who, for the record I usually LOVE...have you seen Rachel Getting Married....5 Stars) and Jim Sturgess.

The movie is an adaptation of a book, which I have not read. Perhaps if I had read the book I would have been better prepared for what I had signed on to see and not been so disappointed with the movie. Or maybe I would have been anyway.

Right off the bat, I found Anne Hathaway's british accent to be really off-putting. Maybe it was correct. I'm not an expert on these things but I've never had such a problem listening to Gwenyth Paltrow or Renee Zellweger do british accents so I don't think its just a question of an American taking on a British Accent. I suspect that I am correct--and that it is really, really bad.

The movie takes place in one year segments from the year 1998-2011. Each scene popping up a different year with the year actually popping up behind the actors somewhere on the screen to let you know what year you are in. If you forget what year it is, do not worry, the actors' hair changes to fit the time and the music in the background is a clear clue that you are somewhere in the year 1992 or 1998.

But Emma and Dexter meet at college graduation in 1998 and, although they almost have a one night stand, end up not sleeping together. Thus, starts their friendship with Emma continuing to lust after Dexter (silently) and Dexter basically being SOB to everyone around him, including Emma while they all wait (including his mother who dies somewhere in the early 90s) for him to become the good man he will eventually grow up to be.

That doesn't happen very quickly and, for me, at some point I stopped seeing anything about Dexter to particularly love. And I stopped liking Emma who stood by year after year continuing to love him from afar while acting the role of his best friend even while he treats her terribly.

Soon, however, Dexter will knock up his girlfriend Sylvie and need to get married. His thriving career as a late night host (he's awful) ends and he goes to work for a college friend's organic food corporation. Emma's writing career finally takes off after a brief foray into teaching and a relationship with a terrible stand up comedian. (See how they've reversed roles? He started out rich and successful and now she is?) In case you were wondering, the wind changing actually happens in the background as Dexter stares out at a strange wind storm that picks up one day. Yeah...I caught that. So did everyone else.

Eventually, Dexter's marriage ends and LOOK there is Emma. Happy to leave her relationship with Jean-Claude the Jazz musician in Paris to RUN to Dexter, who is looking much worse for the ware. (Really? Who did Jim Sturgess' stubble in this movie?) The movie does a very strange thing. They completely gloss over the fact that apparently Emma and Dexter have slept together the year before. They discuss it at this point with the audience going...um...I watched Emma and Dexter eating spaghetti together, I don't get to even see a lead up to their sleeping together?

But the movie is not without sex. No, we get lots of sex once they are married. (Seemed a very odd decision to me.)

Then Emma wants a baby, she's not getting pregnant, she's unhappy, Dexter is running his own coffee shop, and she is riding her bike to go see him. BOOM. Emma is struck by a truck. She dies on the side of the road and we get to watch her do it.

Yes, in this movie billed as a ROMANCE with voice overs saying lovely things about LOVE, Emma dies on the side of the road.

Now Dexter falls apart. And continues to do so for about 15 more minutes intermingled with more scenes of Dexter and Emma's life together that don't seem to add anything to the movie. A lot of their first day together.

That is the movie. One Day. Again, had I known it was this TYPE of movie, I might have enjoyed it. I don't mind watching things that are upsetting. I do all the time. But I need to know thats what I'm seeing. And shame on the movie promotion for not making that clear. Also, I really felt like the actors didn't particularly care for one another. They had very little chemistry and it seemed like a lot of going through the motions, something I don't usually see with Anne Hathaway.

Have you seen the movie or read the book? What are you thoughts?