Mullan makes Frank a complex, proud and wounded man, a reluctant dreamer who is both melancholic and inspiring. Not a great film, but all the performances are smart.
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.
Theatrical Release:Apr 7, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $90,663
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
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Reviews for On A Clear Day
Fans of Mullan's more intense work will find this soft and all-too maudlin.
Gaby Dellal's cynically mushy film, like The Full Monty and its ilk, is best savored only by its target demo: middle-classers who see one imported film a year.
Unlike my colleagues, I wiped my eyes instead of rolling them, and I'm hoping you will too. Worth seeing indeed.
The kind of drama that British television used to do so well, a well-constructed, smartly observed story of ordinary people learning how to communicate with one another.
Flawed by moments of sitcom humour, On A Clear Day still manages to tell an engaging story about men, work and friendship.
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.
Does any of this work? Sure, but only through the graces of a cast that knows better than to play to our hearts.
Set in and around the dockyards of Glasgow, On a Clear Day follows a laid-off shipbuilder who decides to fix his life by swimming the English Channel.
Sweet-natured, if somewhat familiar, On a Clear Day features fine performances by Mullan, Blethyn and Sives. Dellal and cinematographer David Johnson paint an inviting picture of Glasgow.
...despite their decided lack of Glaswegian accents, Dellal's cast is engaging enough to involve us in this waterlogged but well visualized tale.
Has a thoughtful, witty tone that makes it worth seeing even if it feels a bit simplistic.
Nothing in On a Clear Day is especially compelling. The movie doesn't dig deep enough.
The social, economic and personal stresses don't seem very surely addressed by the big swim.
A thoughtful, thoroughly engaging portrait of fractured family and friends pulling together for an impossible dream.
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.
On a Clear Day, though sincere and diverting, is too restrained and conventional -- and just a tad too dull -- to stir up much enthusiasm.
The wonder here, if not the redemption, is that so many toil so hard to make this saccharine stuff palatable.
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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