The movie reaches for an emotional climax that is simply beyond the filmmakers' grasp.
On A Clear Day (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:64
Fresh:43
Rotten:21
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Another blue-collar inspirational feel-good British dramedy, On A Clear Day succeeds on the strength of lead actor Peter Mullan's performance and Gaby Dellal's competent direction.
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Shot on location in Glasgow and Dover, director Gaby Dellal's first feature takes off from a true story of one man's determination to swim the English Channel. The film deftly avoids the pitfalls... Shot on location in Glasgow and Dover, director Gaby Dellal's first feature takes off from a true story of one man's determination to swim the English Channel. The film deftly avoids the pitfalls of sentiment through a self-deprecating humor that recalls THE FULL MONTY in tone and theme, as well as a stunning performance from Peter Mullen (YOUNG ADAM) as protagonist Frank Redmond. After 40 years of working as a shipbuilder, the somewhat taciturn Frank has been "made redundant" and let go from his job. He finds himself utterly unmoored without the routine and trappings that have defined his existence for so long, and suffers a loss of self-respect that he is unable to talk about with his loving wife, Joan (Brenda Blethyn, PRIDE & PREJUDICE), and son, Rob (Jamie Sives). Floundering, Frank becomes obsessed with the idea of swimming the Channel, and undertakes the project with the help of Chan (Benedict Wong, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS), the owner of the local fish-and-chips shop, who becomes Frank's personal trainer. His three best mates (Billy Boyd, Sean McGinley, and Ron Cook) sign on for the ride as well, each discovering new strength in themselves along the way. But it is Frank's relationships with his family that are the most moving part of the film, as he deals with the demons that have hounded him for over 20 years and rediscovers the bonds he shares with his wife and his long-estranged son. [More]
Starring: Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Billy Boyd, Sean McGinley
Starring: Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Billy Boyd, Sean McGinley, Jamie Sives, Ron Cook, Benedict Wong, Jodhi May
Director: Gaby Dellal
Director: Gaby Dellal
Screenwriter: Alex Rose
Producer: Sarah Curtis, Dorothy Berwin, Bill Allen
Studio: Focus Features
Reviews for On A Clear Day
The social, economic and personal stresses don't seem very surely addressed by the big swim.
Mullan makes the journey more than worthwhile, but don't go in expecting profundity.
Nothing in On a Clear Day is especially compelling. The movie doesn't dig deep enough.
Does any of this work? Sure, but only through the graces of a cast that knows better than to play to our hearts.
A thoughtful, thoroughly engaging portrait of fractured family and friends pulling together for an impossible dream.
takes its sweet time developing the story and characters, but delivers a fantastic ending that makes the journey to get there worth it
Every time `On a Clear Day' threatens to turn gooey - which is often - the camera finds the craggy face of the picture's star, Peter Mullan.
Mullan always looks as if he's about to explode -- sometimes he does -- and he's in good enough shape to make the aquatic conceit believable.
The symbolism in On a Clear Day makes it more than just another underdog story, and the movie is less reliant on warm and fuzzy Hollywood- isms than other films of its kind.
The flick is buoyed by some heartfelt moments and a talented cast, but it all gets bogged by a just-add-water plot that dog-paddles down every expected path.
It's the rare exploration of a misunderstood love between a father and son who, by not knowing how to live with each other, find they must live apart if they can't escape the past.
On a clear day, to misquote the old Broadway tune, you can see the cliches.
[B]rutally, bleaky funny, in a way that makes you want to cry more than laugh. It is, in a word, brilliant.
On a Clear Day isn’t the best of the genre, but I can’t deny it got to me.
Finding similarity in a child overcoming a handicap and a former laborer trying to get his groove back is a notion far more insane than choosing to swim the English Channel.
I certainly know what I’ll be telling my Auntie to see the next time she tells me they don't make 'nice movies' anymore.
Latest News for On A Clear Day
January 31, 2006:
Tackling male mid-life crisis in such a manly fashion should work. ![]()
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