On a Clear Day (2006)

On a clear day, it would be easy to recognize this swimming-the-English-Channel movie as just the latest high-concept descendant of The Full Monty, in which whimsical Brits gear themselves toward unlikely goals. But with the gruffly depressive Peter Mullan setting the tone as the prospective swimmer, the film's identity becomes hazier, more closely resembling an original creation than it might otherwise. On a Clear Day is a warm enough little diversion despite not really covering any new territory, other than the endeavor itself, which hasn't had many trips under the cinematic microscope (and doesn't get much of an in-depth probing here, either). Despite the fact that his character is supposed to be in his fifties, Mullan sure looks fierce enough and fit enough to complete the 21-mile crossing. The demons he wrestles with -- both the drowning of his son and his layoff from a lifelong career -- fit in well with an emotionally strained family structure, which also features Brenda Blethyn as his stoical wife. Where On a Clear Day seems to betray itself is where it tries to be more, rather than less, like The Full Monty. For example, Billy Boyd's supporting character exists entirely for the purpose of shoehorning in comic relief. If he isn't talking a big game or running a motorboat aground, he's flailing around in the water from having swum too soon after eating. While the mere presence of the former hobbit is welcome on its own terms, he doesn't exactly work with the rest of the movie. Still, most of what director Gaby Dellal and screenwriter Alex Rose put onscreen does work, which makes On a Clear Day easy enough to behold. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide