One Day

The most entertaining and engrossing romantic film to hit theaters in ages, One Day details the comings and goings of platonic friends Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) over a period of about two decades – with the movie catching up with the pair on the same day once a year. It’s a decidedly unusual premise that’s employed to consistently enthralling effect by filmmaker Lone Scherfig, as the director, working from David Nicholls’ script, deftly transforms Emma and Dexter into likable, engaging figures right from the get-go – which, in effect, does force the viewer to immediately sympathize with and root for the would-be couple’s ongoing exploits. The palpable chemistry between Hathaway and Sturgess undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in the movie’s success, and there’s little doubt that the episodic nature of the narrative, which admittedly does take some getting used to, ultimately proves instrumental in cultivating a remarkably complete picture of the ups and downs in the protagonists’ lives. By the time the unabashedly tear-jerking finale rolls around, One Day has certainly established itself as an uncommonly captivating, thoroughly moving romance that stands among the best that the genre has to offer.

**** out of ****