4 stars (out of 5)
Director: Lone Scherfig
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Rafe Spall, Patricia Clarkson, Tom Mison, Jodie Whittaker, Josephine de La Baume
Rating: (M)
The film preferences of the opposite sex are always a source of bemusement. Why do girls like sloppy romances and boys like stuff with guns and explosions?
It is a mystery but, as some smart men have figured out, taking a woman to the right romantic movie is a great softening-up tool. Just stay awake and refrain from laughing at the wrong moments and you're Mr Sensitive.
One Day (Rialto and Hoyts) is the right kind of romantic movie. It flatters the woman, is witty and the romance creeps up on you rather than hitting you over the head.
Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) are at university together but never make a connection until graduation day. She has a crush on him but he is too full of himself to realise what a fabulous woman she is about to become.
Yet Dexter is not totally without perception because she becomes his one female friend. It is a friendship that is tested over the years as she gets stuck in a dead-end job and he becomes something ridiculous in television, but slowly the tables turn as he flounders and she finds her feet. It is a long time coming but surely they will eventually realise they are meant to be more than friends?
Best thing: Given how contrived the film is (we see them on the same day over several years) it actually feels natural and flowing.
Worst thing: Dexter spends most of the movie being a total prat so it is hard to fathom Emma's devotion.
See it with: Either the friend you have had your eye on or a hen party.
- Christine Powley
