Featured Audience Ratings

• Universal D

  
  A typical working class family offering wherein Dad, one of those blokes defined by his job, suddenly gets the sack and now is in need of some serious redefinition. An engaging cast carries this familiar story with some spirit of devotion.

• Anthony L

  
  This film should have continued with the bleakness that it displayed in the first 5 minutes because it soon descended into stupid comedy which, inevitably, turns it into a 'This year?s Full Monty' film. I thought the direction was very good. The mood in the first few scenes… More
  This film should have continued with the bleakness that it displayed in the first 5 minutes because it soon descended into stupid comedy which, inevitably, turns it into a 'This year?s Full Monty' film. I thought the direction was very good. The mood in the first few scenes made me expect a gritty drama, it was very well handled and should have been continuous. Peter Mullan is a great actor, hugely underrated, he's one of the finest actors in the world and he carries this film till the bitter end. The supporting cast is varied. It has Ron Cook and Sean McGinley, two great actors, with no great script for them to get stuck into which really is a waste of their talents. Brenda Blethyn is ok but I'm not a huge fan of hers as I believe she hams up most of her performances and indulges in a bit of over acting, I believe her various awards have gone to her head. Jamie Sives heads the rest of the talentless cast (although Wong was harmless and I quite like him) but for me, and one of the reasons I got annoyed with this film, was because of the inclusion of pointless character number one, played by Billy Boyd. He's not funny and he made a mockery of a very real subject that effects a lot of people. Why was he in this? I think it just shows that this film wasn't sure of its direction, what its meaning was going to be. A real shame and wasted opportunity. I've said it before and I'll say it again, The Full Monty has a lot to answer for! Mullan and Dellal carry this film but I wouldn't bother if I were you, watch My Name is Joe instead!

• Ross C

  
  Laid off Glasgow dock worker tries to find some meaning to his life by swimming the English channel. It's a fairly light, British chum drama that will comfortably fill a spare hour and a half. I found the subplot a rather vague, unnecessary distraction and not all the acting was… More
  Laid off Glasgow dock worker tries to find some meaning to his life by swimming the English channel. It's a fairly light, British chum drama that will comfortably fill a spare hour and a half. I found the subplot a rather vague, unnecessary distraction and not all the acting was first class.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"On a Clear Day" starts with Frank(Peter Mullan) being made redundant after working thirty-six years at the shipyards. For him, work is everything and is at a loss what to do next, looking for a new job not coming easy. The only hobby he enjoys is… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"On a Clear Day" starts with Frank(Peter Mullan) being made redundant after working thirty-six years at the shipyards. For him, work is everything and is at a loss what to do next, looking for a new job not coming easy. The only hobby he enjoys is swimming at the pool with his pals. Suddenly he has a goal in life - to swim the English Channel.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Meanwhile, his wife, Joan(Brenda Blethyn), is secretly learning how to drive a bus...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"On a Clear Day" is a nice pleasant movie about masculinity, the generation gap and trying to find a purpose in life in middle age.(Frank has always supported his family but that may change now that his wife is looking for work outside the home. His son is comfortable taking care of his kids while his wife works at a job center.) But the movie is rather routine, resembling other crowd pleasing movies that center on the working class without seriously discussing politics; the best of which was "Brassed Off." The movie has more than enough silliness and amateur psychology to go around. What makes it all worthwhile is Peter Mullan's magnificient performance capturing all the nuances of his character's conflicting emotions perfectly. [/font]