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Poster for On a Clear Day

On a Clear Day

Anything is possible

2005 · 1h 38m · PG-13 Drama
Directed by Gaby Dellal

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Overview

After decades of laboring as a Glasgow shipbuilder, Frank Redmond, a no-nonsense 55-year-old working-class man, suddenly finds himself laid off. For the first time in his life, he is without a job or a sense of direction, and he's too proud to ask for guidance. His best mates - rascally Danny, timid Norman and cynical Eddie - are there for him, but Frank still feels desperately alone. An offhand remark from Danny inspires Frank to challenge himself. Already contemplating the state of his relationships with loving wife Joan and all-but-estranged son Rob, Frank is determined to shore up his own self-confidence. He will attempt the near impossible - swimming the English Channel.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
67%
Tomatometer
Rotten

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.

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Rotten

The wonder here, if not the redemption, is that so many toil so hard to make this saccharine stuff palatable.

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Fresh

... despite its familiarity, it works, mostly on the strength of a fine performance by the Scottish actor Peter Mullan.

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Rotten

Clear Day isn't terribly engaging.

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Rotten

The movie reaches for an emotional climax that is simply beyond the filmmakers' grasp.

John Hartl, Seattle Times

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