'One Day,' one dimension

Based on David Nicholls’ hit novel, “One Day” captures a single day, July 15, each year in the relationship of Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) and Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway).

Beginning the morning after their college graduation in 1988, the film chronicles the many ups and downs of Dex and Em’s relationship, including a revealing holiday to France, a sudden catapult to fame and its destructive consequences and the intrusion of outsiders into the relationship. Despite these disturbances, Dex and Em maintain a friendship and ask themselves and the audience, “Is there something more?”

The movie version of the popular novel fails to capture any poignancy and coherence necessary to the story. Hathaway and Sturgess make the relationship feel strained, struggling to sustain a genuine connection on-screen.

Hathaway plays Emma too stiff and uptight, making the presence of tears and shouting appear melodramatic instead of justifiable. Even the basic concept of a believable British accent challenged Hathaway, who seemed to switch between English, Scottish and American accents throughout the film.

Similarly, Sturgess fails to relate the absolute personal turmoil of Dexter, which makes his character a womanizing, egocentric slime ball.

Perhaps the only reason the audience wants to root for this couple is because, well, it’s Hollywood, and the audience has to cheer for someone, right?

Director Lone Scherfig, who also directed the 2009 hit “An Education,” contributed in this inability to fully understand the characters’ emotions, struggles and motives.

Instead of being a glimpse into the relationship of Dex and Em, each year felt too short to dive past the surface.

The snippets placed importance on the events, rather than the people, and therefore the film felt anecdotal and disjointed rather than cohesive and whole. “One Day” felt more like a shallow piece than a timeless, romantic saga.