On a Clear Day
Dir: Gaby Dellal
2006
**
2006's On a Clear Day should have continued with the bleakness that it displayed in the first 5 minutes because it soon descended into a stupid comedy which, inevitably, turned it into a 'This year's Full Monty' type film, which it really wasn't. 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 okay 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. Jamie Sives heads the rest of the talent-less 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 or what it's point was going to be. A real shame and a wasted opportunity. I've said it before and I'll say it again, The Full Monty has a lot to answer for, why British film tried to jump on its success in a cheap and undignified manner for so long is beyond me. Mullan and Dellal carry this film but I wouldn't bother if I were you, watch My Name is Joe instead.