Film of the Book: One Day

Please note this post contains spoilers for both the book and the film One Day.

You can read my review of the book One Day here.

I was rather underwhelmed by the book One Day. It had so much buzz around it that I expected it to be something a bit special- at least as far a chick-lit is concerned. Not liking the book was part of the reason that it took me so long to watch the film. Having said that I do tend to prefer to watch chick-flicks than read chick-lit so I thought I might enjoy the film all the same. Plus it was less than £3 from HMV, so worth the risk I think.

As far as chick-lit is concerned it wasn’t the best there is. Maybe because it wasn’t terribly romantic, or happy (not that chick-flicks are always happy, or romantic when it comes down to it). Maybe because I didn’t like Dex and Emma pretty much got the raw end of the deal. She deserved better than him, but maybe that’s the way love is? And then she went and [highlight for spoiler]got hit by a truck, I mean, things were actually good for her (even if it meant being with Dex) and that happens! So unfair.

 

I had completely forgotten that the story didn’t end there. Maybe it should have, but in a way that’s cruel. I suppose it shows that we care about Dex that that as an ending might have been too brutal.

Also I think Dex might have been more of an ass in the film….maybe I just blocked it out!

Oh and you could kind of tell what was going to happen from the start- because the story started at the end for some weird reason.

As an adaptation it is pretty good. As a film? Simply ok.

Buy…

The film:  DVD (£3.00) Blu-ray/Triple Play (£10.10) DVD with Charlie St. Cloud and Remember Me (£12.07)

The book: Paperback (£3.85) Kindle (£2.99)

One Day- David Nicholls

Image via Wikipedia

Synopsis (from Amazon)

‘I can imagine you at forty,’ she said, a hint of malice in her voice. ‘I can picture it right now.’
He smiled without opening his eyes. ‘Go on then.’

15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways.

So where will they be on this one day next year?

And the year after that? And every year that follows?

Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY. From the author of the massive bestseller STARTER FOR TEN.

Review

Ok here goes. I know lots of people love this book, I’m read so many fantastic reviews, and maybe I’m missing something but I was less than impressed. I wasn’t expecting One Day to be so chick-litty, I have nothing against chick-lit as such but I rarely read it and when I do it’s because I want an easy, lazy read, and that means I have to know it’s chick-lit first. I found it somewhat predictable, to the point that I was getting frustrated at the length of time it took for the inevitable to happen (highlight for spoiler)and of course it did happen, eventually. I suppose it was romantic in a way, the idea of fate, but it’s nothing new.

I didn’t like the characters either. I thought that Dexter was a bit of an idiot honestly, and so self-centred. He took advantage of Emma and I didn’t think he was good enough for her. Emma I found kind of smug, not exactly self-assured but at the same time rather self-satisfied, despite her criticisms of herself. Emma did at least grow on me though (highlight for spoiler) however I wasn’t sad so much as shocked when she had died.

I did find the end quite good, and realistic. (highlight for spoiler) I thought the emotion of loss was done much better than that of love. I could imagine myself reacting in similar ways to Dexter. The ending really saved this story, and actually I would have liked more of it.

2.5/5

And if you’re asking what I think you may be the answer is yes 😉