One Day review: "Netflix romantic drama wears its sincerity on its sleeve"

GamesRadar+ VerdictAmbika Mod and Leo Woodall anchor One Day with easy chemistry, making it easy to root for the central couple in Netflix’s romantic drama. The series wears its sincerity on its sleeve and, mostly, pulls it off. GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall anchor One Day with easy chemistry, making it easy to root for the central couple in Netflix’s romantic drama. The series wears its sincerity on its sleeve and, mostly, pulls it off. Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall anchor One Day with easy chemistry, making it easy to root for the central couple in Netflix’s romantic drama. The series wears its sincerity on its sleeve and, mostly, pulls it off. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. How does friendship shape a life? And how does life shape a friendship? Time passes in fits and spurts in One Day, Netflix’s new decades-spanning romantic drama, centering on the will-they-won’t-they friendship of Emma (Ambika Mod, best known for playing junior doctor Shruti in This is Going to Hurt) and Dexter (Leo Woodall, a world away from his last small-screen appearance as Essex boy Jack in The White Lotus season 2). Based on David Nicholls' novel of the same name – which broke my heart when I read it as a teenager – each episode follows Dexter and Emma on the same day in July over the course of nearly 20 years, beginning on the night of their graduation from the University of Edinburgh in 1988. Emma, a straight-A socialist from Leeds, catches hedonistic Home Counties heartthrob Dexter’s eye at their grad ball. A night of conversation culminates in a failed attempt at a one-night stand, but a promise to stay in touch overlays a frisson of missed opportunity. Right off the bat, Mod and Woodall have an easy chemistry, anchoring the time-jumping narrative and making it easy to root for Emma and Dexter. Mod, in particular, is very watchable, balancing Emma’s earnest idyllism with a dry sense of humor, the actor’s background in comedy bringing an extra layer of bittersweet charm. Mid-20s malaise (Image credit: Netflix) After Edinburgh, post-grad life sees the pair spend polarizing summers in Rome and Wolverhampton, respectively, before they both start lives in London. Things haven’t gone anywhere romantically, but they’ve kept their word and stayed in touch. However, while Emma is clocking in for soul-destroying shifts at the city’s “second-worst Mexican restaurant”, Dexter is kickstarting a career in late-night TV. The show captures the way university class divides become chasms after graduation – the good-natured teasing of posher, wealthier friends becomes decidedly less fun when they walk into high-paying careers without breaking a sweat and you’re stuck in a dead-end job with no time or energy to pursue your dreams. One Day skilfully captures the malaise of your mid-to-late-20s, when student optimism begins to wane and you begin to realize it might actually be like this, forever. The series looks at the process of growing up and wonders: is anyone really happy? Well, yes and no. Nothing ever works out quite the way you planned, for better or worse – a truth that rings plaintively but painfully true throughout the series. To begin with, it seems like Woodall has drawn the short straw – Emma is seemingly the more interesting character, and Mod has better material to play with. Woodall’s performance, however, pays off in the long term. Silver spoon-fed Dexter’s luck increasingly dwindles and, as a lack of purpose and meaning sets in, Woodall’s perfectly honed wounded expression brings subtlety and empathy to what could otherwise be a brash and annoying character. Emotional truths (Image credit: Netflix) A zingy, era-appropriate soundtrack punctuates each episode, but there doesn’t seem to be much other purpose for keeping the late ’80s to early ’00s setting of Nicholls' novel, with period details often feeling inconsequential – and, most heartbreakingly, the show’s costuming not having nearly enough fun with ’80s and ’90s fashion. Some parts of the script are a little hammy and a brief use of flashbacks in a later episode feels a tad on the nose, but One Day otherwise wears its sincerity on its sleeve and, mostly, pulls it off. The direction is tender, the camera soft on Emma and Dexter’s bodies during moments of intimacy. The script’s emotional beats, for the most part, walk a realistic line throughout the series – not just emphasizing the highs, but underlining the lows, too. When Emma and Dexter bicker, it captures the tension of butting heads with someone you love, that helpless unintentional clashing when you’re moving on different axes during difficult moments. And there’s no shortage of difficult moments, particularly in later episodes. When you can’t go on, how do you go on? The characters in One Day experience addiction, grief, feeling trapped in jobs and relationships, and realizing they’ve wasted too much time. But there are also holidays in the sun; they watch dear friends marry the love of their lives and decide exactly how they want to spend the rest of their lives. When you can’t go on, you still do, somehow. This point is hammered home in a tear-jerker ending that teeters on a knife edge of sentimentality. At this point, though, we’re invested in Dexter and Emma. The emotional beats of the finale feel earned and the underlying message, that all we have is each other – present throughout the series but brought front and center during the final episode – elevates the central love story to even greater significance. Life shapes our relationships with people but, more than anything, these relationships shape our lives. All episodes of One Day are streaming on Netflix from February 8. For more, check out our guide to the otherbest Netflix showsto fill out your watch list. 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thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1 Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”