Marie-Élaine Thibert: Un jour Noël - Very Good

Very Good - USED - Very Good: A well-maintained video game, CD, or DVD that has been played but remains in excellent condition. The disc is fully functional, plays without interruptions, and does not skip. The box or jewel case, along with the cover art, liner notes, and other inclusions, may show only minor signs of wear. Please note that any included digital codes (if applicable) are not guaranteed to work. USED BOOK: This book is in very good condition, showing only minimal signs of wear. The pages are clean with no markings, and the cover may have slight shelf wear. The spine remains uncreased, and the book appears well cared for. It is a solid copy that presents well and is enjoyable to read. Please note that any included access codes (if applicable) are not guaranteed to work.

Amazon.ca Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) meet on July 15, 1988, the night of their graduation from the University of Edinburgh--and the movie One Day returns to them on that day every year for the next two decades, following the giddy ups and painful downs of a friendship that hopes and fears to become something more. Emma struggles to become a writer, while Dexter glides effortlessly into a career as a smarmy television host. The two dart back and forth, reaching out and retreating, trying to make lives with other people before they finally recognize what they mean to each other. This structure gives the movie scope, but also keeps individual scenes shallow, as the audience gets dribs and drabs of information (a wedding here, an illness there) while being dropped in the thick of some transitory happiness or misery. Director Lone Scherfig, who made the wonderful An Education, has a gift for grounding her actors' performances in simple human activity, making the emotions rich and immediate; but it's a challenge to get much traction in the script's generalities and clichés. Hathaway ( The Devil Wears Prada) brings a lot of charm and empathy to long-suffering Emma, while Sturgess ( Across the Universe) has an uphill battle to make the louche and self-pitying Dexter engaging, and he doesn't quite ascend the summit. The strong supporting cast includes Ken Stott ( Rebus), Romola Garai ( Emma), and the always-dependable Patricia Clarkson ( Pieces of April). --Bret Fetzer

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