Review

Review Date: 16-April-06
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

On a Clear Day (2006)

I've reached the age when I can appreciate the mid-life crisis, that watershed period when one can't avoid sorting out the past and yearning for a significant future. Thus I respect the intentions of the Scottish drama "On a Clear Day," especially since it's well acted and tastefully directed by Gaby Dellal. There's value in the story of a shipbuilder in his fifties named Frank (Peter Mullan) who decides to swim the English Channel as an act of self-affirmation and resolution. (He needs the former because he has just been laid off, the latter because he once lost a son.) Dellal finds beauty in Frank's working-class life and his desire for comfort and dignity. Through him, the movie captures the universal moment when a man must get to the other side, regardless of the obstacles in his way.

That said, and despite my respect for this theme, I couldn't help but notice that the substance of "On a Clear Day" might have been related in 35 minutes and much of it is therefore filler. Not arty or TMI-type filler, but stuff dictated by market research or precedent. Accompanying Frank on his journey is a motley crew of adorably pathetic lads including two peers who lack his backbone (Sean McGinley, Ron Cook), a younger man who needs a role model (Billy Boyd), and an outsider who could benefit from a way to fit in (Benedict Wong). They all of course offer comic relief (following in the wake of "The Full Monty," "Calendar Girls," etc.) and lead up to the weakest point of the film, a "by the way, the hero's actions will give everybody a happy ending" montage. Frank is also flanked by a blowzy wife whose suffering can't dampen her loyalty (Brenda Blethyn) and a surviving son from whom he has long been estranged (Jamie Sives). Throw in Merv the Perv, Mad Bob, and cute twin grandsons, and you've got a host of uninventive characters who pass the time between Frank's powerful crawl strokes. Seems to me the point of the picture is accomplishing forward movement, so treading water doesn't do. During the down time I found myself pondering things like, "Wasn't there a similar 'Simpsons' episode? Only Homer climbs a mountain and isn't hot like Mullan." When all is said and done the message of the movie shines through, but it isn't particularly clear.

Copyright © 2006 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.