Best movie ever!

An action-packed slog

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The teak-faced Peter Mullan is a foreman at a ship-building factory in Scotland. A magnificent ship slides down the ways and Mullan has been rendered "redundant." His buddies -- Mad Bob, Merve the Perv, and the rest -- are sympathetic but life goes on. Mullan's wife, the matronly Brenda Blethyn, tries for the third time to pass the test and get a job as a bus driver. Things look pretty bleak. But then Mullan, by now steeped in a voiceless despair, looks into the sea and has an epiphany. So he swims the English channel.This is a low-key story for grown-ups. Nobody's head gets wrenched off. The ending is a bit much in some ways but at least nobody bursts into sobs and there is no triumphant music on the sound track. Nope. The movie is as flinty as the people inhabiting it.There is a kind of sub-theme, something between Mullan and his son Bob. They don't get along because of some childhood contretemps. That's straightened out in the end too.I enjoyed it. Mullan is an ordinary middle-aged guy with a bit of flab and a lot of determination. He's so proud that he keeps his plan to swim the channel even from his wife, if not from his partners in crime. I didn't understand why, except that it provides an opportunity for the introduction of some humor ("I think he's having an affair") and a little tension ("Why wouldn't you even tell me -- your own wife?") to keep the story from dragging.Speaking of humor, there are amusing incidents and characters who are unwittingly funny. Well -- one example. To be entered officially into the Guiness book of world records, Mullan needs to be accompanied in his swim by a boat, which he is not allowed to touch. But Mullan and his pals don't HAVE a boat. But they get a tip. Mad Bob has a boat he could lend them but Mullan has to arm wrestle Bob to win the favor.So the two men -- Mullan and Mad Bob -- strip off their jackets, clear the table in the pub, place their elbows, clasp hands, and stare at each other, waiting for the "Go" signal. Everyone expects a Herculean struggle, just like the ones they've seen in every other movie with an arm wrestling contest. Instead -- Wham! -- and Mullan instantly flattens Bob's hand. Bob cheerfully agrees to lend them his boat.I won't go on about this except to say that the cinematography is splendid without in any way being splashy, so to speak. See it. Everybody needs to smile now and then.

On a Clear Day is directed by Gaby Dellal and written by Alex Rose. It stars Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Jamie Sives, Benedict Wong, Billy Boyd, Sean McGinley, Ron Cook and Jodhi May. Music is scored by Stephen Warbeck and photography by David Johnson. Locations used for the shoot were Glasgow, Isle of Man and Dover.Emotionally shot after being made redundant from his employment at the ship yard, Frank (Mullan) searches desperately for some semblance of hope in his life. Then one day he finds a challenge, a test of endurance to maybe exorcise the demons that haunt his family: Frank aims to swim the English Channel.Following in the wake of great British comedy/dramas such as Billy Elliot, The Full Monty and Brassed Off, On a Clear Day is a perky, yet tender, human interest story. Story may follow a familiar course as regards a protagonist striving against odds for some sort of meaning, redemption, but it's how this particular protagonists actions affect those around him that opens this up as a more fulfilling story. Frank, his wife Joan (Blethyn) and son Rob (Sives) have had a terrible event in their lives, thus the relationship between father and son is desperately strained. Into the mix comes Frank's recent unemployment and the family is in danger of complete implosion, especially Frank who is extremely low on self esteem.Then there are the friends in Frank's life, Eddie (McGinley), Danny (Boyd) and Norman (Cook), and a potential friendship in the making with Chinese Take Away owner Chan (Wong). All men low on confidence, all about to become involved in Frank's goal, his attempt to swim the channel becoming a beacon of hope for all of them. It's this collective feeling of the underdog against life's troubles that gives the film its heart beat; if the film is a heart warmer? Then you will have to watch to find out. It's also very funny, even if much of the comedy is very "laddish", with character names such as Merv the Perv and Mad Bob, it's evident that some of the humour is colourful. While it should be noted that the Scottish accents are likely to be a problem for non residents of the UK and Ireland.Smoothly directed by Dellal and impeccably acted by the cast, this is very much a winner across the board. A film fit to sit alongside those British films mentioned earlier. 8/10

An endearing everyman movie with a UK setting. Frank, a traditionalist, would rather leave than kowtow to the new management. After 36 years of work he is at odds what to do with himself. He can't communicate his emotions to his wife, he barely expresses his feelings to his chums, and he struggles with his relationship with his son. Woven through this is the 23 year old tragedy of losing his other son to a drowning, which has haunted him all these years. Frank finds a way to redeem his self-esteem and that is to swim the English Channel. The movie weaves this main plot in with several sub-plots and it all works well. Indie movies are brave enough to portray real characters with plausible dialog. A tremendously capable cast with the talents of Billy Boyd (Pippin) as the comic relief, and Brenda Blethyn (Pride and Prejudice) as the stalwart wife, plus the wide array of minor characters, blend to create a thoroughly enjoyable family movie. Some of the lines with Billy Boyd are laugh out loud hilarious.

i saw this 4 times! it's about how a Scottish man lost his job after 30 years. and he swims the English Channel. Mr. Billy Boyd who played Pippin in The Lord of the Rings play a touching role as one of the man Frank mate Billy plays Danny. I believe this should be made available on DVD n America. and would like to be informed when it is. Love this movie.Frank goes to the library to look up on how to swim the channel. He meet a man there named Chan and then his other friends join him and together they start to help Frank to train. once he and Danny go in the water to train and Danny gets a cramp and almost drowns. Frank saves him. and Danny ends up in the hospital.Where his mother said, that he could help Frank train but whenever he is with Frank must wear a life jacket. he is a very touching scene.