Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Ross622 "On a Clear Day" is a film that really disappointed me mainly because the movie waits until the end to be an actually good movie. The movie tells the story of a middle aged Irishman named Frank (played by Peter Mullan) who is a professional shipbuilder who is going through a tough time with his family mainly with his son Rob (played by Jamie Synes) who are having an estranged relationship with one another. And his wife (played by Brenda Blethyn)and friends Ed (played by Sean McGinley), Chan (played by Benedict Wong), Norman (played by Ron Cook), and his other son Danny (played by Billy Boyd). As I mentioned in the first sentence of this review that the movie takes until the ending of the film to actually look good, mainly because of the screenplay by the at the time inexperienced screenwriter for the first time Alex Rose who I know for a fact didn't revise upon his work for the film, though the director to the film Gaby Dellal is to take part of the blame as well. Now later in the film Frank is going to his local swimming pool to train because he is so determined to swim the English channel and after a few weeks goes for it and acts like a crybaby when he is almost done swimming the English channel until he snaps out of it and keeps going until he reaches the shore. The movie is a mediocre type of movie though it is nothing compared to sports movies like Remember the Titans (2000), Raging Bull (1980), Rocky (1976), Cinderella Man (2005), Million Dollar Baby (2004), or even The Pride of the Yankees (1942). The film itself is just not as bad as other terrible movies that I have seen recently or in the past few years.

intelearts Drama / Comedy + inspirational sports done well, you cannot beat it. And On A Clear Day is done very well indeed: a very good tale about redundancy and new hope in Scotland told with a glint in the eye and a spring in the step.It also follows along in Brassed Off and Full Monty's line: it is about how we find dignity (And the only two missed opportunities for me in the film were not to use Wyatt's brilliant Shipbuilding and Deacon Blue's Dignity as soundtrack songs).When Frank (Peter Mullan is typical acerbic form) is made redundant he falls to pieces. His mates are there but nothing is clicking. He sets himself an impossible task: to swim the English Channel - he has his personal reasons (Which give the film a deeper edge).But film isn't just about technique or script or even acting: it's as much about the overall effect and this scores very big in this respect.This is a film with huge heart and it is nearly impossible not to be moved or inspired by it.There may be better films out there, but seriously, there weren't many others from 2005 that we simply loved this much.

adrian_dungey This was a fantastic film from start to finish. I was a little sceptical about this film when I first read the byline but once I started to watch it I was enthralled to the very end. A film very much in the vein of The Full Month only with less stripping, less swearing and a slightly better storyline. You actually feel Franks pain as he swims the channel and you find yourself willing him on with every breath. A must see and definitely a 10 out of 10. The music fits the film well but is not too overbearing as seems the norm now in so many 'hollywood blockbusters'. The views of Scotland, the choice of locations, the supporting actors, the old pool where Frank practices all add to the enjoyment. So also does his relationship with Chan from the chippie who no one seems to know talks apart from the two words 'fish' and 'chips'. Watch out for the child with what I assume is Cerebral Palsy as he battles his own inner demon as he swims two widths of the pool, a stirring performance and one that deserves credit. The final locations of the cliffs somewhere near Dover, the boat in the channel and the beach in France bring a fantastic end to a fantastic film.

square-peg A man's voice reads a poem over a shot of boys playing on a beach. Our interest and emotions are engaged from the start. The visual story-telling is very strong - so we are aware that Frank is a man riven with past grief and present disappointments. He decides to attempt swimming the English Channel and is joined by a supportive gang of mates but without the knowledge of his wife - a wonderful performance from Brenda Blethyn (naturally.) The relationships are sketched in as you watch through railings, through water, through reflections in mirrors and windows. Although the characters are familiar - each one is distinct and well-played by a great cast. Peter Mullan is heart-breakingly good - depicting a strong man challenged and broken is a hard thing to get right, but he is completely credible. It is a slow-moving, almost poetic film. Thoroughly satisfying.