MovieChat Forums > One Day (2011) Discussion > Loved the movie so I read the book SPOIL...

Loved the movie so I read the book SPOILERS

posted 12 years ago by Lunar_Park
5 replies | jump to latest

I think this movie gets a bad rap because it should have followed the book more closely and maybe, should have been made into a mini-series instead of cutting so much valuable story plot information - like Emma's new career as an author and how it came about; Dexter's ongoing alcohol problem especially while taking care of his baby while Sylvie was out having the affair; Emma losing weight from the early 90s to when Dexter sees her at the 2000 wedding; Emma lending money to Dexter in order to start the cafe in London and helping him to reshape his life after their whirlwind romance in Paris.

The movie did NOT show how dependent Dexter was to Emma. Emma clearly made him a better person and the movie just mentioned it through character conversations...a little with action but all the hurt he caused her, all the shallowness...

Except, what about Dexter's genuine letter of love he wrote while in India pleading Emma to meet him there? Why did Nicholls leave this very important part out of the movie? It showed how Dexter loved Emma too! Plus, while Dex and Em were on holiday, before checking into the hotel, Dex told Em to wait at a bar and he went looking for a room - Emma specified she wanted two separate rooms and Dexter, behind Emma's back, booked only one room with a King sized bed on purpose in hopes they may hook up.

This movie seemed to show how Emma loved Dexter...but did not show his feelings clearly - only through some drunk phone calls. He adored her! In the book - he thought about her often - the way she took photographs, looked, even when she was plump, he still found her ravishing.

The novel will definitely sweep you away...but, it is very REAL. I'm sick of cookie cutter lovey-dovey novels. This novel is REAL LIFE. It's brilliant and I'm tired of so many bashers and haters.

I thought Sturgess and Hathaway had some great on screen chemistry with the script provided. Had they been given MORE from the novel, it would have been at least a 3 star flick.

Aside from my comparisons here...does anyone know what hairstyle these actors started with? I mean, the aging/different looks, etc. were brilliantly done! Whoever was in charge of makeup did a FANTASTIC job right down to the crow's feet around their eyes in the end.

Did Hathaway and Sturgess wear hair extensions? Sturgess looks extremely handsome with the longer hair during their 'holiday' together - he should keep that hairstyle. It would make him a major heart throb. And his British accent is beyond sexy - it's just plain glamorous and classy.

Hathaway is your typical 'girl next door'. I know many critics did not appreciate the effort she put into this movie...but I thought she was a 'dead on' Emma, regardless of hair color. (In the book, Emma had reddish hair and I think Dexter was a dirty blond.)

Anyway - I highly recommend reading the novel. It will soon, One Day, become a classic - no pun intended. Nicholls whole structure reminded me of The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald switching from Emma to Dexter. What a spectacular story teller he is!

_____________________________________________________________________________________
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[–] jmhow 12 years ago

The separate-rooms-on-holiday story line is in the deleted scenes.

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[–] MsAllie 11 years ago

I'm so glad to hear there is more depth to their relationship than some drunk calls and puppy dog eyes. I may have to make time to read this one. Thanks.

p.s does the book just cover the one day each year and we still have to fill in the backstory?

[–] Debbieuk 11 years ago

MsAllie the book is super! It does cover one day a year but it's very clever and you don't have to 'fill in the blanks'.

Soooooo much better than the film!

[–] TheMichael 11 years ago

I'm reading the book right now, and I can see why certain things had to be left out, because, first of all, there's a lot of reminiscing about the "other days". And take into account the describing of what's going on inside Em and Dex's head, it's all very touching when reading, brilliant even, but it's the sort of thing you can't milk in a movie. The "fill in the blanks" is a bit of a let down, but then again there is no good way to do it in this movie, that only focuses on the one day a year. Flashbacks would defeat the purpose.

You just can't film everything from the book. It doesn't work like that. What you love to just STAY IN when reading the book, loving every detail, wanting to know everything, you won't feel that way if it were in the movie. It's called pacing, it's not a bad thing, and it has artistic benefits. But any way, I'm just in love with the book. I'm wishing the movie could have slapped on a few more minutes or taken a little more here and there from the book, but I think the movie gets it just right in a lot of scenes. It has the perfect FEEL in it, you know? Feels fresh for it's genre.

[–] littlekaren 11 years ago

Did not love the book at all, a difficult read. But had forgotten about it and when One Day came out, failed to realize it was 'that' book. Did really love the movie though and the performances by the leads and supporting cast.