Posts
2011, 08-21:
Review of film: “ONE DAY”
In 2009, I was pleased to meet & hear a talk by Danish director LONE SCHERFIG about her fine film “AN EDUCATION” shown at the Chicago Int'l Film Festival (as reported by me at = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-of-film-education-report-on-q-re.html )...
... On August 20 of 2009, I saw an advance screening of the impressive action / thriller “FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING” about the IRA “troubles” in Northern Ireland...
... Attending that was its star, actor (& musician) JIM STURGESS, who showed himself to be very relaxed & personable during (& after) his Q&A talk concerning the film (as I reported at = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-of-film-fifty-dead-men-walking-q.html )...
... I bring that up because this new film I’m about to review was DIRECTED by the same LONE SCHERFIG, & stars JIM STURGESS (who’s also been in 2007’s “ACROSS THE UNIVERSE” & 2008’s “21” & “THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL”)...
... In this new film, a class is to graduate from a college in England... It’s July 15th in 1988, and somewhat “nerdy” eyeglass-wearing Emma (ANNE HATHAWAY) joins sexy “ladies man” Dexter (JIM STURGESS) in going out with others to celebrate the event...
... Anne wants to do things like writing, & outgoing Jim in-effect wants to find something “easy” to do that’ll make him a lot of money...
... They get to TALKING a lot about themselves & life, & tho Anne would clearly like to “get” with Jim “romantically”, they end-up just being good FRIENDS...
... The “catch” in this film is, it gathers together what’s “GOING-ON” with Anne & Jim as of ONE specific day each year after that for 20 years, namely, on the same July 15th when they first became friends...
... Anne did not find a job where she could really USE her education & talents, instead ending up as a manager at a Mexican-themed TACO restaurant... Jim became a minor TV “STAR”, as the host of a rock-based MUSIC program...
... They often get TOGETHER with each other on each July 15th “anniversary” (besides seemingly some other times), & they talk-over what’d been “HAPPENING” with their lives & what they hoped to be doing in the future...
... And, even when they don’t meet, they usually at least TALK to each other via the phone...
... Jim (especially in the “early” years after their first real talk) tries to encourage Anne in her WRITING plans and the like, & she tries to encourage him to find things that give him some long-term happiness (as opposed to just living SUPERFICIALLY for the “MOMENT”, as he tends to do)...
... As the years go on, Jim becomes increasingly self-centered. Even tho his mom, Alison (PATRICIA CLARKSON), has become quite ILL, rather than spend some quality time with her (as she & her husband Steven {KEN STOTT} very much WANT him to do), Jim prefers to go elsewhere to look for some frivolous-type “FUN times”...
... Anne tries to persuade Jim to be more thoughtful with his mom Patricia, but he seldom really LISTENS to her, preferring to get DRUNK and / or “HIGH” with some pretty women or the like...
... One year on July 15th, Jim & Anne spend time together in PARIS... He sort of gets “close” to a sexual relationship (which Anne would clearly welcome), but nothing much COMES of it...
... Jim starts to see how his poor attititude has proven HURTFUL to him & others (including his Mom Patricia, who DIED not long after their short meeting together)-- but, he’s seldom truly “MOTIVATED” enough to do anything to really CHANGE his ways, as Anne keeps URGING him to do...
... At one point, Anne gets close to a pleasant employee of her restaurant, a guy named Ian (RAFE SPALL), whose goal is to be a stand-up comedian...
... Rafe’s not very “exciting” (or even FUNNY)-- but, he’s “TAKEN” with Anne, &, having nothing “better” in her life, she starts LIVING with him for a while, tho there doesn’t seem much “warmth” there from her side...
... Jim’s fortunes tend to go “DOWNHILL”, with him doing increasingly minor work as a TV host (& that “DOWNWARD” situation “increases” as his DRUG usage does the same)...
... He regularly tries getting “with” a bunch of pretty WOMEN, such as Tilly (JODIE WHITAKER) & Tara (AMANDA FAIRBANK-HYNES) & Sylvie (ROMOLA GARAI)...
... In time, -- because he in-effect sees nothing “BETTER” to do--, Jim MARRIES one of the women, & they have a baby GIRL...
... He starts out being a sort of “attentive” papa-- but, like MOST things he does in life, that attitude fairly quickly “FADES AWAY”, & he in time gets a DIVORCE...
... After years of being really good FRIENDS, he & Anne finally reach a point of getting involved with each other ROMANTICALLY (as Anne had wanted from the beginning)...
... Would finally being around Anne regularly start to really “CHANGE” Jim for the better (which RAFE at one point comments she’d always tried to do)?... Would Jim be able to help ANNE grow & promote her using her abilities more?...
... Would the love between Anne & Jim really LAST, or would something happen to “interrupt” that?... What “CHANGES” will we see in their lives & in the lives of those “around” them?...
... I found this to be a movie that’s unusually good in being THOUGHT-PROVOKING, particularly about the way people’s dreams & plans quite often “FIZZLE-away” & periodically CHANGE as time goes on (especially when no effective “active” efforts are made towards real PROGRESS)...
... Altho Anne’s “Yorkshire” English accent is at times “IRREGULAR” in its quality, the basic ACTING by her, Jim & others in the main roles is quite GOOD...
... The concept (of seeing life thru the stages of “anniversaries” of an event) is an intriguing one, with a lot of “UNDERSTANDING” of the “ways & byways” of life as experienced thru the lives of various characters with different & varying “agendas”...
... The very end of the film struck me as “PUZZLING”: there’s a to-me bizarre choice of having a “FLASHBACK” of much earlier times between Anne & Jim (odd in the way it flies in the “face” of PREVIOUS “events” we’ve seen, to no clear worthwhile “POINT” that moves the story “ahead” in any effective way)...
... So, all things considered, while it’s an INTERESTING “unconventional” love story, it’s so bittersweet & sort of “confused” / incomplete in its unsatisfactory ending, I am only able to rate it at like 7.25 out of 10 stars...
[ NOTE: You can easily SHARE this Posting with your friends or family by sending them an e-mail LINK via clicking on the “M” button in the lower left-hand corner... ]
(o_
/\
/\
= = = [ 4 B&W I&D ] … ( <> ^ <> ) ...
* - - - - - - - - - *
No comments:
Post a Comment