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Movies / On DVD / On A Clear Day
On A Clear Day

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On A Clear Day (2006)

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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.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some language

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

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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Release:

Jul 11, 2006

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Reviews for On A Clear Day

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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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takes its sweet time developing the story and characters, but delivers a fantastic ending that makes the journey to get there worth it

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
04/14/06
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

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.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
04/14/06
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

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.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
04/13/06
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

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.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
04/13/06
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/13/06
E! Online

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.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
04/13/06
Paula Nechak
Paula Nechak
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

It presses most of the right feel-good buttons.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
04/13/06
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like a soggy and less compelling iteration of The Full Monty.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
04/13/06
Jessica Reaves
Jessica Reaves
Chicago Tribune

On a clear day, to misquote the old Broadway tune, you can see the cliches.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
04/13/06
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

[B]rutally, bleaky funny, in a way that makes you want to cry more than laugh. It is, in a word, brilliant.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
04/12/06
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

On a Clear Day isn’t the best of the genre, but I can’t deny it got to me.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
04/10/06
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
04/10/06
Brett Buckalew
Brett Buckalew
FilmStew.com

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.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
04/10/06
Anne Gilbert
Anne Gilbert
Filmcritic.com

Refreshing and inspirational

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
04/09/06
Les Wright
Les Wright
culturevulture.net

...despite their decided lack of Glaswegian accents, Dellal's cast is engaging enough to involve us in this waterlogged but well visualized tale.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/08/06
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

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.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/08/06
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

comment Comment
04/07/06
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Screenwriter Alex Rose, first-time director Gaby Dellal and their cast consistently hit the right notes, and the result is an uplifting tale that you don't have to be embarrassed to enjoy.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/07/06
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

On a Clear Day, though sincere and diverting, is too restrained and conventional -- and just a tad too dull -- to stir up much enthusiasm.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
04/07/06
Gary Goldstein
Gary Goldstein
Reel.com

For all its exertions, the film spends most of its time merely treading water.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
04/07/06
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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