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      On a Clear Day

      PG-13 Released Jan 24, 2005 1 hr. 32 min. Comedy Drama List
      69% 67 Reviews Tomatometer 72% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score After losing his job at a Glasgow shipyard, 50-year-old Frank (Peter Mullan) has few prospects and little hope. A casual remark by a buddy (Billy Boyd) inspires him to find a new purpose: to swim the English Channel. Accompanied by his closest friends, Frank sets forth on a training regimen that will help him achieve his goal. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Jan 23 Buy Now

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      On a Clear Day

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      Critics 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.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/23/18 Full Review Frances H Warm hearted and charming film about a Scots ship builder who who feels useless after his retirement until he gets the notion to swim the English Channel. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/20/16 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review jesse o 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. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Mullan is the man, once again. 90 mins of listening to anything scottish is just fine by me, kudos movie about something im not even interested in= you did a good job. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] A moving, well-acted film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      On a Clear Day

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      Critics Reviews

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      Geoff Pevere Toronto Star The recycled spectacle of yet another downsized U.K. working-class type being reduced to an act of feel-good against-all-odds crowd-pleasing redemption. Rated: 2/4 May 5, 2006 Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail The wonder here, if not the redemption, is that so many toil so hard to make this saccharine stuff palatable. Rated: 2.5/4 May 5, 2006 Full Review Terry Lawson Detroit Free Press ... despite its familiarity, it works, mostly on the strength of a fine performance by the Scottish actor Peter Mullan. Rated: 3/4 Apr 28, 2006 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com A film of tremendous vision and beauty. Rated: 3.0/4.0 Sep 18, 2020 Full Review Doris Toumarkine Film Journal International A satisfying 92 minutes. Mar 1, 2007 Full Review Eric D. Snider EricDSnider.com There is much warmth and reconciliation in the final act, indicative of the movie's goodheartedness. Rated: B- Jul 26, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis After losing his job at a Glasgow shipyard, 50-year-old Frank (Peter Mullan) has few prospects and little hope. A casual remark by a buddy (Billy Boyd) inspires him to find a new purpose: to swim the English Channel. Accompanied by his closest friends, Frank sets forth on a training regimen that will help him achieve his goal.
      Director
      Gaby Dellal
      Executive Producer
      Bill Allan, Steve Christian, Leonard Crooks, Nick Hill, Andrew Mason
      Screenwriter
      Alex Rose
      Production Co
      InFilm Productions, Forthcoming Productions, Glasgow Film Fund
      Rating
      PG-13 (Some Language)
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jan 24, 2005, Original
      Rerelease Date (Theaters)
      Apr 7, 2006
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Feb 12, 2014
      Sound Mix
      Dolby SRD
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)
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