MovieChat Forums > One Day (2011) Discussion > TRAGIC

TRAGIC

posted 13 years ago by cburncallander
46 replies | jump to latest

A golden opportunity to do a great British film COMPLETELY messed up by dreadful, US-pandering casting. Anyone who's read the book can only be disappointed by the two dimensional characters - all of them are rubbish. Why not Carey Mulligan or - even better - Samantha Morton to play NORTHERNER Emma Morely. And Nicholas Hoult or Ben Whishaw as Dexter?

Shame on David Nicholls for bothering to write the screenplay and then seeing it go to the dogs for the sake of the yankee money shot. The film looks as terrible as the book was brilliant. Shame..

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 13 years ago

I agree. This could have been as good as happy go lucky. Now it will just be another American romcom with no heart and no substance. Will watch it just to see lovely Edinburgh, it's one thing they cant wazz up

[–] cburncallander 13 years ago

I bet they will wazz it up though ; )

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] modelajb 12 years ago

i'm not sure i'd call this movie a romcom.

[–] SkippyJonJones 13 years ago

Don't think the casting of anyone other than Anne Hathaway is aimed at Americans - most of the rest of the cast are primarily known in the UK, not in the US. Most are also brilliant actors. That's the reason I'm so excited about the movie - the cast has depth.

As for Dex - I am actually ok with Jim Sturgess. Nicholas Hoult seems too young to play the full 20 years Dex ages in the story, and Ben Wishaw just wouldn't have worked for me. He's a bit too quirky, IMHO, and not sure he could play the charming rogue that Dex is as convincingly. I really think both actors are very talented, though.

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 13 years ago

Dex's mother is played by an American and is a pretty well known actress, who in what I have seen is just as bad as hathaway on the accent front

Nicholas Hoult would make this film even worse, he is a bloody terrible actor lol Ben Whishaw although a brill actor is far too odd looking to play dex, dex was meant to be really really conventionally good looking

[–] cburncallander 13 years ago

I beg to differ.....Patricia Clarkson playing Dex's posh ENGLISH mum ? Plenty of English actresses to fill that role.

Sorry but the trailer is cringeworthy. If it's any indication of the film - which I imagine it is seeing as it's footage from it - it doesn't bode well. I don't see how anyone who is really into films can say otherwise. Not unless you're related to one of the cast or David Nicholls himself.

But I'm glad you're excited to see it anyway. I was too.

ps. Question. You do know that Emma Morley is meant to be a slightly square Northern girl with a Northern accent?

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 13 years ago

I beg to differ.....Patricia Clarkson playing Dex's posh ENGLISH mum ? Plenty of English actresses to fill that role.

I saw Helen Mirren when I read the book, though any British actress is going to be better, as she sounds American in the trailer too. Sighs :)

[–] cburncallander 13 years ago

Yes she'd be good. Or perhaps a sharp, clipped Kirstin Scott Thomas?

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 13 years ago

yeah great actress bit young looking maybe?
very underrated actress

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Yves-15 13 years ago

If they were going to change it so much by casting an American star, why not go all out and set it in NY with an all American cast? I thought Anne was faking her accent in the trailer. Hope she doesn't have it for the whole movie.

[–] FelixFelicis 13 years ago

Why not Carey Mulligan?---because seriously Emma in the book wasn't supposed to be that PLAIN or uglyish

[–] reeldramaqueen 13 years ago

Hathaway's not ugly or plain. She's got a odd quirky beauty, but she's by no means unattractive. That said, her accent sounds phony and the trailer does make it look Nicholas Sparks type cheese. However, I do want to see it because I like Jim Sturgess and Patricia Clarkson, and I'm a sucker for romances anyway.

I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

[–] hooGirl 13 years ago

Funnily enough Carey Mulligan is going to be in the Great Gatsby, a very American story if there ever was one. I wonder what her accent will be like.

I don't think they would cast an American actress in this movie just to pander to the USA, why would we care, we have seen British actresses before. In fact wasn't carey nominated for an oscar?

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 13 years ago

She is a far better actress than hathaway, once disney forever disney you cant even compare the two, and why are they remaking the great gatsby? It already has several versions, just shows how they really have no good ideas left anymore

[–] luks-11 13 years ago

Agreed on Carey Mulligan, that's a very good shout. Also Romola Garai (who is in the film coincidentally) could have made a great Emma - she has the capacity to look plain at times and beautiful at other times.

However, I disagree with your Dex suggestions. Nicholas Hoult I find a little too flat - Skins showed us he could do the glib, superficial charm of Dex but I'm not convinced he could provide the character with the necessary depth when we see him falling apart. Also I wonder if he might be too young to convey the older Dex.

Ben Whishaw is a personal favourite of mine but even I have to admit that he's nowhere near conventionally good-looking enough for Dex. Dex has to be the kind of guy who you could believe girls would just go for at first sight and I think Jim Sturgess's cocky grin nails that.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] PurpleTeardrops 13 years ago

I agree with the "if the actors are good who cares where they are from" BUT the problem for me isn't where they're from it's just that I can't stand hearing Anne talk with that God awful accent. I can barely stand watching the trailer there's no way I could watch the entire movie. It's a shame really because it looks like a movie that I'd enjoy but I just can't listen to that, it sounds completely fake. If they were going to cast an American actress they should have at least gotten one that's capable of doing a believable accent.

[–] crestrepo2901 13 years ago

Thank you. First post that makes sense in here...

[–] cburncallander 13 years ago

that's what we're saying "xi phos" - that the actors AREN'T VERY GOOD IN THIS FILM.

Keep up dear.

[–] modelajb 12 years ago

i actually thought jim was great.

[–] shnhln-270-686165 12 years ago

I too thought Jim Sturgess was excellent in this. He really captured what I pictured the Dex of the book to be. He had the nonchalent charm down to a tee.
Anne Hathaway's accent was a bit hit and miss but I don't think it detracted completely from it and they had great chemistry together.

I find it remarkable that people use words like horrendous etc to describe the novel. Seriously, if it's not your bag fair enough but it's by no means a horrendous novel. There are much worse novels out there.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] goleafsgo27 12 years ago

I found it to be something of a middling film, mostly because of story weaknesses, though I have seen much worse. But while I am a fan of both Hathaway (loved Rachel Getting Married) and Clarkson, I feel the best I can say about their attempts at various British accents is that I think they were better than Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, but not by much. Oh, and did anyone else notice the funny continuity whoops when they are in bed early in the film and in the switch from one angle to another, the two suddenly switch sides?

I have seen enough to know I have seen too much. -- ALOTO

[–] modelajb 12 years ago

this post seriously has me in stitches, haha.

[–] lovethatcolin 13 years ago

I would like to have seen Colin Firth in one of the roles.... of course, that's only because I LOVE Colin Firth!!!

But on a more serious note, I heard the trailer on TV today, and gagged when I heard AH's accent! I imagined an exaggerated version of Mary Poppins! Anyway, I usually can't tolerate the American Rom-Coms and usually love the British and other 'foreign' (I'm American) ones, but I guess that I'll skip this one... too bad...

I met Colin Firth!!!