Drama
A Man in Full
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
“What’s your plan for your life?” Emma asks Dexter in the midst of what they assume will be a one-night stand. “When you’re, I don’t know, 40, or something. What do you want to be when you’re 40?”
“Am I allowed to say rich?” Dexter asks.
It’s not a very satisfying answer to Emma. She has big plans for her life. She wants to do something that will impact her slice of the world. The politically conscious 1988 graduate from the University of Edinburgh can’t believe that her fellow graduate has so few plans for the future.
But despite that, and Dexter’s apparent aloofness, Emma still feels an attraction to him that one fateful night. And Dexter, even though he thinks Emma is rude, is drawn to her, too. It’s only when Dexter’s parents arrive that Emma finally pulls herself away—before their one-night stand can be consummated.
And then, “40” slowly starts to inch its way towards them. We’re shown how their lives have changed by jumping forward to July 15th of the next year, and then the next.
1989. 1990. 1991. 1992. Time ticks on.
So do their hearts for each other—even if they can’t get the timing right. Both of them hoping that things will eventually work themselves out to bring them together.
One day.
Based on the David Nicholls 2009 novel of the same name, One Day tells the tale of a man and woman struggling to finally express their love for each other as the years come and go. And if you weren’t aware of the book, maybe you’ve seen the 2011 film starring Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway.
Netflix’s miniseries adaptation follows the same plot as those, albeit with a bit more visual content for viewers to wish wasn’t on July 15th. While that entails book-accurate scenes including hidden skinny dipping and an affair, it also includes some female nudity and a few drawn-out sex scenes. Swearing is present and includes the f-word, and heavy drinking and a bit of violence finish out those concerns.
Of course, in a story partially about two people being shaped out of their insecurities and into parental figures is bound to have its issues. But this version of One Day makes those issues a bit more present onscreen.
On July 15, 1988, Dexter and Emma meet and recognize a spark between them—before circumstances pull them apart.
Dexter and Emma retreat to her apartment to have sex, and they strip to their underwear and passionately kiss. We briefly see Emma’s breasts. The two ultimately decide not to have sex. We hear a reference to masturbation. Emma’s roommate, Tilly, wonders if Dexter is “working through a list” of women with whom to sleep. Later, the two toast “to one-night stands.” We see other people kissing at a party, too.
Dexter asks if Emma did not sleep with him due to religious convictions, and Emma responds that her mother is a Hindu and her father is a lasped Catholic. “So, no, God was not involved,” she quips.
People are seen drinking and smoking.
God’s name is used in vain four times. We hear the British vulgarity “bloody” three times.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
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