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Take an almost unknown cast; add little or no marketing and absolutely no big hoopla and late night talk show circuits and you usually have a movie worth seeing. Which is good because sometimes you need a flick that gets you to think and is not there simply as some sort of escape. On a Clear Day is a triumph of the human will and spirit, it succeeds with likeable characters and humorous life moments.

Frank Redmond has been laid off from his ship building job of 30 plus years and finds he is having a hard time adjusting to this new season of life. He spends most of his days in the athletic pool at the club and you get the idea that he has been an avid swimmer for most of his 55 years. When he decides to swim the English Channel his pals think him insane at first but soon get on board in helping him accomplish the task at hand.

What I appreciate about this movie and movies of this slant is the characters. I delight in these guys. They are real. They have real issues
and real families and real failures and real dreams. They don’t have all the answers and you know they don’t expect to find them in 90 minutes. But what they discover is something they didn't even know they where searching for, and that is a cool twist any day. Watching them causes me to look at my own life and ask the tough questions. To set some far fetched goals. To reach for the sky. To see the human spirit alive in myself and those around me.

Frank’s four buddies are the key to his success. Every guy needs a group of pals that understand him and aren't afraid to hold him accountable and kick his butt in gear when needed. This batch of blokes includes Danny (Billy Boyd), Norman (Ron Cook), Eddie (Sean McGinley) and Chan (Benedict Wong). Each of them is totally different when looked at individually but together bring balance to each other.

There is a saying; the race is not to the swiftest but he who endures until the end. That is the story of all of these guys, in and out of the water.
This movie shows that many times we end up achieving something that is far greater than what we imagined when we set out and what looks like failure is oft times our greatest win.

Shot on location in Glasgow, Isle of Man and Dover, it is like many British films in the fact that you have to closely pay attention to the dialogue or you will miss something.  On a Clear Day is rated PG-13 for some language. The language is not mean spirited or gratuitous at all. It is salty at times but in the context of most middle age guys hanging out and trying to get through life. It starts out slow and you may need to wait 15 minutes or so before it finds its groove, but once it does be ready for an enjoyable movie and a chance to ponder life. With a look at On a Clear Day, I’m Matt Mungle 3.75 out of 5 strokes.

The Mungle (4/14/06)

Matt is a member of the North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) and hosts the weekly syndicated Indie Rock Radio Show Spin 180. Plus with his wife Cindy they do a weekly radio feature, The Mungles on Movies. For additional reviews and interview clips visit the website www.mungleshow.com

# of tocks (3.75 out of 5)