On a Clear Day

Audience Reviews

View More

12/23/2018 This movie gets to me. I love it. It’s such a simple and quiet movie and in another review I’ve said when I feel down I like to watch slice of life movies and this is one of my top favorites. The story is so beautiful and touching and the comedy while downplayed is still really funny (Billy Boyd is amazing in this). I gave it five stars, watch it and see for yourself. See more 04/15/2014 I really like Brenda Blethyn, but I wasn't that enthralled by this film. I think it lacks the substance of some of the other dramas I've seen Brenda star in. But it was a decent enough way to spend an hour-and-a-half. See more jesse o @RT12547577 09/15/2013 Apparently the U.K has a propensity for these sentimental, sometimes even cloying, crowd-pleasing movies where blue-collar workers, or a community, fight against the odds in order to overcome some emotional baggage. This is another one of those types of films and I'd say this was pretty good, all due in part to Peter Mullan's performance. His performance was certainly a pleasant surprise, because Mullan, almost always, tends to play these tough, mean-looking gangster types. And he certainly looks, and acts, the part as he has a very intimidating presence. In this movie he plays a man with far more emotional 'baggage' on him than his other characters, and I think he does a great job here really. I just think the script is probably a little too sentimental for my tastes. It's certainly easy to see why Frank is the way he is, and why he has pushed his only son away, his other son drowned. But I think the movie probably lays on its message, or its drama rather, a little too thick for my tastes. I think it tries too hard to try to tie the symbolism of Frank swimming the English Channel to what happened with his son to each other. I think ONCE Frank says that he's swimming the English Channel, you'll know the reason why he's doing it. They didn't need to lay it on as thickly as they did. The cast is more than solid, no problem there. Peter Mullan is great here and Brenda Blethyn, an incredibly talented woman, is really good here as well but I wish her character's relationship with her husband would've been better developed. It's like these two spend the entire movie apart and there's ONE scene where they share a sweet moment of remembrance to when they were young and dating. It was supposed to be a sweet scene, showcasing that they're truly in love. I think it would've worked in a movie where the husband and wife spent more time interacting with each other. Even if they're arguing throughout the entire movie, that moment where they recall their younger days would've made the entire thing touching. The rest of the cast is good, but none of the characters really have any actual depth. It's clear I wasn't watching Amour last night. And I'm glad that I wasn't, I chose this movie because I was in the mood for something light. And while the humor is pretty light, there's some interesting dramatic developments here. Even if they're laid on a little thickly. Still, this is a solid movie that benefits from a committed performance from Peter Mullan, and the rest of the cast is more than solid too. See more 11/26/2012 (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] A moving, well-acted film. See more 10/20/2012 Easy to dismiss the familiar premise of an underdog sports film, but done so well, that difficult not to be moved by it. It won the best film award at Scotland and Grand Jury at Sundance, and it's not difficult to see why. Great understated performance by Mullan and Blethyn and some comic turn from McGinley make this an absorbing watch, and I am always a sucker for a wholesome and redemptive sports film. See more 07/17/2012 It's me. But I don't have the English Channel nearby to swim across. See more Read all reviews

On a Clear Day

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING