“Let’s face facts: the 2011 movie adaptation of One Day was an absolute disaster,” says Kayleigh. “Many fans of David Nicholls’s bestseller hated it, insisting the film butchered the tragic romance book they loved so dearly – so, yes, it’s safe to say they’re nervous about Netflix’s upcoming series of the same name.
“Considering the success that the new Percy Jackson series on Disney+ (yet another TV adaptation of a bestselling novel, released years after a blockbuster flop) has had, it seems One Day fans could stand to be cautiously optimistic about Netflix’s version of events. If they do a few things differently, that is…”
1. A DECENT YORKSHIRE ACCENT
No offence to Anne Hathaway (we love her forever), but there’s no denying that her take on the iconic Yorkshire accent definitely stood out in the 2011 film. And not for the right reasons. Thankfully, we have the brilliant Ambika Mod (excellent in This Is Going To Hurt) to steer us right this time around.
2. MORE TIME WITH DEX AND EM
You know the score: the book spans the decades-long relationship of our star-crossed lovers, revisiting them throughout their lives on the same date (the one they met on) to see how they’re navigating their feelings for one another. The film had to do all of this in 1hr 47mins, so sure, it felt rushed. The series, however, is a whopping 14 episodes, which means we should have plenty of time to really get to know the duo this time around.
3. ACTUAL EMOTIONAL HEFT
Look, it’s not the film’s fault; it had all the best lines and moments from the book, but there just wasn’t time for the internal monologues to fill in the gaps. In the Netflix version, though, there are more hours to fill, so we can only hope Nicholls & Co have found a way to translate all of that beautiful emotion from the page to the screen.
4. A FAIR SPLIT
We get it: Dexter – played by Jim Sturgess in the 2011 film and The White Lotus’s Leo Woodall in the Netflix series – and his dramas are infinitely more suited to the big screen than Emma’s quiet struggles. So it makes sense that the movie spent a lot more time with him than it did her… but we’re hoping that we get an even split between the two characters this time around. You know, like we did in the book.
5. ONE (1!) ENDING
How many endings did that 2011 movie have? Too many, in our opinion. And if there’s one adaptation we wouldn’t mind committing the cardinal sin of changing the book’s ending, it would be One Day. Fingers crossed we get a conclusion that feels thoughtful and in keeping with the new show’s ‘modern’ twist on the beloved novel. Watch on Netflix from Thursday 8 February
