ONE FINE DAY (PG-13)
Director: Michael Hoffman
Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, George Clooney, Mae Whitman, Alex
D Linz, Charles Durning, Ellen Greene, Joe Grifasi, Pete Hamill, George Martin
Running Time: 109 minutes.
A romantic comedy more in the tradition of Speechless rather than Sleepless In Seattle, One Fine Day is fairly predictable,
light weight fluff essentially driven by the charisma and screen presence of its two stars.
The film explores one rather eventful day in the lives of two harried single parents who are attempting to juggle the demands of
their hectic careers with their family responsibilities. Melanie Parker (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a widowed architect trying to
survive the hectic pace and daily grind of New York with her independence intact while raising her young son Sammy (Alex D
Linz, who has been chosen to replace precocious child star Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone 3). Preparing to make an
important presentation to clients, she outwardly projects strength and confidence, but one suspects that the constant pressures
and loneliness are starting to get to her. Jack Taylor (ER favourite and new Batman George Clooney) is an egotistical
newspaper journalist and a carefree divorcee who only has to face up to his parental obligations every other weekend. But on
the day that he has to chase up corroborating evidence to support a controversial story revealing scandal and bribery in the
mayor's office his ex-wife dumps their daughter Maggie (Mae Whitman, previously seen as Bill Pullman's daughter in the
blockbuster Independence Day) with him while she takes off on a sudden honeymoon with her new husband.
Maggie and Sammy fortuitously attend the same pre-school, but when Melanie and Jack both manage to arrive late and miss a
planned excursion they are forced to compromise and reluctantly tag team as baby sitters for the day. As they desperately try
to juggle the demands of their professional careers with the responsibilities of minding their respective offspring in carefully
organised shifts, not everything goes smoothly. The two kids, initially enemies, slowly form a friendship and try to arrange a
relationship between their respective parents, giving the film the flavour of a more sophisticated variation on the Disney classic
Parent Trap. As the long day progresses, the pair lose their outer veneer of independence and strength and slowly reveal their
more vulnerable and emotional side to each other.
From the first strained meeting between Melanie and Jack it is obvious where the film is ultimately headed, but the charm and
rapport between the two attractive leads, who make their characters credible and human, goes a long way towards making the
rather thin material far more interesting and enjoyable than it should have been. In only his second major film role, Clooney
reveals a great screen presence and natural charm as Taylor, and he also interacts well with the two kids. Pfeiffer, on the
other hand, seems to be trying too hard as the harried Melanie, and some of her scenes rely too heavily on physical comedy
and pratfalls that are clearly not her strong suit as a light comedienne. As the two kids Whitman and Linz bring some charm
and enjoyable humour to the film, without becoming too precocious or unbearably cute.
With One Fine Day, writer Ellen Simon (Moonlight And Valentino) has found an easy going and enjoyable blend of
romance and comedy that is light weight and entertaining without becoming too demanding or unbelievable. Director Michael
Hoffman (Soapdish and the recent lavish costume drama Restoration) maintains a fairly brisk pace throughout that seems
perfectly suited to the chaotic events of this frantic day. Although the film does tend to become a bit repetitive at times, some
spark is added through the numerous verbal clashes between Melanie and Jack as they try to establish their own authority. For
a series of crucial but comic cellular phone calls, Hoffman revives the old split screen technique that was used so effectively in
the classic Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedy Pillow Talk.
Oliver Stapleton's cinematography superbly captures the busy New York streets and brings a number of authentic locations
to life, while James Newton Howard contributes a jaunty score that perfectly captures the film's upbeat mood.