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(About Our Ads) "ON A CLEAR DAY" (2006) (Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Mild Heavy Moderate None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Heavy Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Dramedy: Trying to deal with having just been laid off as well as his continuing grief over his young son's accidental death decades earlier, a former shipyard worker sets out to swim across the English Channel. PLOT: Frank Redmond (PETER MULLAN) has worked most of his life at a Glasgow shipyard and thus isn't happy when he's laid off along with others, such as his younger friend Danny (BILLY BOYD). Upset about that and still haunted by his seven-year-old son's accidental drowning decades earlier, Frank finds his middle-aged life without purpose or direction. It doesn't help when his unemployment case worker turns out to be his daughter-in-law Angela (JODHI MAY) who supports her unemployed husband Rob (JAMIE SIVES) and their two young sons. Frank and Rob don't really get along, so he spends most of his free time at the local swimming facility with Danny and their two friends Eddie (SEAN MCGINLEY) and Norman (RON COOK), unaware that his wife, Joan (BRENDA BLETHYN), is secretly try to earn her bus driver's license so that she can support them. One day, while on a "booze cruise," Danny points out that on a clear day one can see France, and Frank suddenly gets the wild idea to swim across the English Channel. His friends think he's crazy, but soon throw in their support behind him and Chan (BENEDICT WONG), a local restaurateur who's offered to be Frank's coach and motivator. After their borrowing of a boat from Merv the Perv (TONY ROPER) doesn't work out as intended, they manage to get Mad Bob (PAUL RITTER) to serve as their captain to navigate the twenty some miles between the two countries. As various family relationships come to a head, Frank continues to train for his big swim and eventually sets out on it, unaware of how it will affect him and his friends and family. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? It's not that likely unless they're a fan of someone in the cast or British working class dramedies. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: PETER MULLAN plays a mostly reserved and somewhat stoic man who suffers a midlife crisis from the combination of being laid off and the still lingering effects of being unable to save his son from an accidental drowning several decades ago. He has a strained relationship with his adult son and doesn't tell his wife about his new plan to swim across the English channel. He trains a lot for the event, uses some profanity and drinks on several occasions. BRENDA BLETHYN plays his wife who's upset that he didn't tell her of his swim plans, although she was keeping her attempt to earn a bus driver's license secret from him. SEAN MCGINLEY plays Frank's friend who tries to offer him moral support during his crisis, but feels guilty about still having his job at the shipyard when Frank lost is. He drinks some. BILLY BOYD plays their young friend who was also laid off, and similarly wants to prove his worth. He tries to join Frank in his swim, uses profanity (some of it briefly strong) and drinks. RON COOK plays their other friend, a divorced man who tries to explain Frank and his behavior to Rob. He drinks some. JAMIE SIVES plays Frank's unemployed adult son who doesn't get along with his dad, but is a proud father to his two young sons. He drinks some. BENEDICT WONG plays a restaurant owner who must deal with racism at work, but offers to be Frank's swim coach and motivator. PAUL RITTER plays a boat owner who agrees to help with Frank's quest. He smokes a bit. JODHI MAY plays Rob's wife who supports the family. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a quick look at the content found in this dramedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Some non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue is present, including that related to a brief scene featuring a husband offering up his wife to a stranger while she's bound and gagged -- clothed in leather -- on a park bench (in an S&M fashion). Various men are seen in several forms of swimwear or underwear, while some partial nudity (male rear) is briefly seen. Tense family material involves a past accidental drowning of a child (we briefly see some partial flashbacks to that) as well as an estranged relationship between a father and his adult son, and some tension between the father and his wife. There's some brief violence between that father and adult son, while a man purposefully injures his hand off camera. Some of those scenes and other moments might be unsettling or suspenseful for some viewers, while bad attitudes are present (including some racism based ones). In addition to the above, other thematic elements are present, while some characters drink, one briefly smokes and some crude humor (including some brief vomiting) occurs. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE A bottle of champagne is used to christen a new ship. Eddie and Frank drink from cans of what might be beer. There's talk of a "booze cruise" and we then see Norman and Eddie vomit off the side of the large boat during it (from being intoxicated and/or seasick). Danny has a beer. Frank and his friends have beer in a pub. Rob has a beer, as does Danny. Frank and his friends have beer. Joan has a glass of wine in front of her with dinner. BLOOD/GORE There's talk of a "booze cruise" and we then see Norman and Eddie vomit off the side of the large boat during it (from being intoxicated and/or seasick). One of Rob's boys has a slightly bloody cut on his knee (with Joan putting a bandage on it). Frank is told to stay ahead of Danny while swimming, adding that if the water suddenly gets warm, that's Danny. Mad Bob shows some shark bite scars on his arm, followed by Danny showing a smaller, bike wreck scar on his. We hear a fart among the men (with the guilty party saying, "better out than in") and then hear one of them say he knew a guy who could fart in German. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Frank sees his family at the shipyard for a new ship's launch, but opts not to go out and be with them (as he's just been laid off and is packing up his things). A man calls Chan a "Chinaman" and then pushes his ordered food back at Chan, saying he decided he wants something different. Chan's delivery man drops off a regular potato shipment by dropping the sack on the floor where it splits open and spills its contents (this happens several times). Frank's former boss has him come in to answer questions about another worker's previous "accident," and then tells Frank that he should have been more loyal to the company (after Frank worked there for decades). Joan is upset with Frank over him not telling her of his swimming plans (he also lied to their son about that). He then brings up that she didn't tell him about her bus driving exams. FRIGHTENING SCENES We see one of Frank's coworkers putting his hand on some sort of large, mechanical press and then pushing the button to start it. We later hear that he lost his hand in an attempt to get disability (but he's turned down), but we don't see the impact. Frank acts as if he's going to work (after being laid off), but then collapses on the sidewalk (we later hear it was a panic attack and he's fine). A physically handicapped boy makes his way over to the pool, jumps in and then appears to be flailing about as his mother (or caregiver) tends to another handicapped child. Seeing that, Frank swims over to rescue him, but the kid and woman state that he's fine and he then swims across the pool. Danny tries to drive a boat, but when it suddenly takes off, Chan and Eddie fall off the back into the water. Danny tries to control it, and barely avoids running into some sort of sea wall. He can't stop it from heading for the shore, however, and the boat then slides up onto the beach (no one is hurt, and played more for comedy than suspense or danger). While swimming behind Frank in the open sea, Danny suddenly gets cramps and starts flailing about (no one notices at first). Norman then signals the others, but Chan can't get the boat started, so Frank swims back and rescues him. During the long swim, we hear that the tide is now working against Frank and he appears to be tiring and then wants to give up. While in the middle of his long swim, Frank has flashbacks of trying to save his son (who drowned) decades earlier (we see several views, such as the boy's motionless body sinking, and Frank getting the boy up onto the shore and the frantic family gathering around, etc.). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Some of the dialogue couldn't be understood due to the occasionally thick accents and/or slang. That said, we heard the following phrases: "He sounds f*cking nuts," "Big ball of sh*te," "Like sh*t off a stick," "Shag it," "You dozy pallet" (or something that sounded like that), "What in the name of total insanity are you wearing?" "Don't be daft," "Poor bastard," "Bloody hell," "You dipstick," "Piss," "Sausage fingers," "Bugger me," "Merv the perv," "Smart ass," "Oh bollocks," "He would have beat the hell out of me" and "Better than out than in" (said about a fart). A joke is told that a man going through an airport turnstile is "going to Bangkok." Norman doesn't get it and the others then say the punch line of "bang c*ck." Rob has a tattoo on his shoulder. Frank drinks milk from the container and then puts it back into the fridge. JUMP SCENES A sudden factory sound that occurs during a beach scene might startle some viewers. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY Some of the dialogue couldn't be understood due to the occasionally thick accents and/or slang. That said, we heard at least 1 "f" word, 4 "s" words, 3 slang terms using male genitals ("c*ck," but used in reference to a joke about Bangkok), 5 asses, 4 hells, 2 bollocks, 1 bugger, 1 shag, 3 uses of "Oh my God," 2 of "My God" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "For the love of God" and "God." SEX/NUDITY Some of the dialogue couldn't be understood due to the occasionally thick accents and/or slang. Joan shows a little cleavage. We see a low angle view of Frank in the bathtub but only see his bare chest. We see Eddie and Norman shirtless in the locker room when Danny comes in wearing what look like small women's panties (that show the top of his butt crack). When he takes them off, we briefly and partially see the side of his bare butt. We see Frank and the others in swim trunks. We see an underwater shot in the pool where Frank is swimming in his swim trunks and the next lane features a woman swimming in a small bikini bottom (and a non-revealing top). Danny says something about what sounded liked finding a box of condoms in a shark. A man prepares to dive into the pool and his swimsuit nearly falls down, but he catches it in time before anything is seen. We see Eddie and Danny in swim trunks and Chan in a tank-top and his briefs as they enter a body of water to swim with Frank who's also in his swim trunks. After swimming in some very cold water, we see Danny looking down into his pants (in a bar, and we don't see what he does). Eddie then jokingly tells him not to worry, as "it will grow back." A joke is told that a man going through an airport turnstile is "going to Bangkok." Norman doesn't get it and the others then say the punch line of "bang c*ck." There's a joke about someone who will let you have a go with his wife. Frank finds Merv the Perv's wife bound and gagged to a park bench while wearing a leather outfit. Frank hears a man saying not to be shy and to give it a go and then sees the husband hiding behind a tree videotaping this (Frank came looking for him because he reportedly has a boat they can use for the swim). We see Frank, Danny and another guy in the public swim facility shower (seen from the chest up). About Frank's weird behavior, Joan says she thinks he might be having an affair, but her friend laughs that off. We see many views of Frank shirtless while swimming or preparing to or having finished swimming (including in a Speedo type swimsuit for the big swim). Angela shows some cleavage. SMOKING Mad Bob smokes once and has an unlit cigarette or small cigar in his mouth in another scene. We see cigarette packs behind the counter in a convenience store. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Frank sees his family at the shipyard for a new ship's launch, but opts not to go out and be with them (as he's just been laid off and is packing up his things). We see Joan cleaning the gravesite of her long-dead, 7-year-old son. One of Rob's kids asks if he likes Poppy (Frank), with Rob saying they're different. The other son then states that Poppy doesn't like Rob. After seeing his son and family going to the pool that he's just leaving, Frank races back to it. He then hides in a locker room changing stall when his son, grandsons and daughter-in-law enter (but he doesn't make his presence known). While rescuing Danny in the open sea, Frank has flashbacks of trying to save his son decades earlier (only briefly seen). Frank is late for his grandsons' birthday party (he forgot about it). About Frank's weird behavior, Joan says she thinks he might be having an affair, but her friend laughs that off. Joan is upset with Frank over him not telling her of his swimming plans (he also lied to their son about that). He then brings up that she didn't tell him about her bus driving exams. After Eddie tries to stop Rob from confronting Frank, Rob pushes Eddie backwards. He then jumps into the pool and confronts Frank who then dunks Rob under the water (in an angry fashion) and then pushes him backwards in the water. Norman says his previous wife left him for another man. Norman tells Rob that Frank pushed Rob away emotionally following his twin's accidental death decades ago. Rob tells Joan that Frank's swimming the channel is not going to bring back his (long dead) brother. Joan then tells him that it's not that brother he wants back. While in the middle of his long swim, Frank has flashbacks of trying to save his son (who drowned) decades earlier (we see several views, such as the boy's motionless body sinking, and Frank getting the boy up onto the shore and the frantic family gathering around, etc.). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Midlife crises. Losing one's job. Deaths in the family and their aftermath on the survivors. Physical quests. Eddie tells Frank that he (Frank) was made redundant (laid off) and should just face up to it like everyone else. Frank's comment that things are not meant to be fixed nowadays. A physically handicapped boy makes his way over to the pool, jumps in and then appears to be flailing about as his mother (or caregiver) tends to another handicapped child. Seeing that, Frank swims over to rescue him, but the kid and woman state that he's fine and he then swims across the pool. Frank finds Merv the Perv's wife bound and gagged to a park bench while wearing a leather outfit. Frank hears a man saying not to be shy and to give it a go and then sees the husband hiding behind a tree videotaping this (Frank came looking for him because he reportedly has a boat they can use for the swim). About trying to swim with Frank, Danny says he just wanted to "be the man once." Rob tells Joan that Frank's swimming the channel is not going to bring back his (long dead) brother. Joan then tells him that it's not that brother he wants back. VIOLENCE We see one of Frank's coworkers putting his hand on some sort of large, mechanical press and then pushing the button to start it. We later hear that he lost his hand in an attempt to get disability (but he's turned down), but we don't see the impact. Danny tries to drive a boat, but when it suddenly takes off, Chan and Eddie fall off the back into the water. After Eddie tries to stop Rob from confronting Frank, Rob pushes Eddie backwards. He then jumps into the pool and confronts Frank who then dunks Rob under the water (in an angry fashion) and then pushes him backwards in the water. Reviewed April 10, 2006 / Posted April 14, 2006