Nice romantic comedies are hard to come by, these days. Somewhere in the 2000s the charm and magic of romance was lost, and now all we got is a sea of Spreads and Giglis with the occasional Crazy Stupid Love to keep hope afloat. Perhaps the budget for crap is too high, or maybe filmmakers have become lazy (I gather it’s a combination of both) but, the truth is, standards are no longer as high as they once were – almost anything can premiere nowadays.
But I was glad to see that One Fine Day is nothing like the degenerate films mentioned above. And it’s not surprising that this mid-90s romantic comedy manages to avoid clichés and stereotypes, for it shares its cinematic blood with the greats of Hanks and Ryan, and others from directors like the recently diseased Norah Ephron.
Melanie Parker (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Jack Taylor (George Clooney) are both divorcees with kids who meet by a twist of fate on a decisive day for their careers. By a series of misfortunes they end up having to take care of their children, and needing each other to so. Michael Hoffman deconstructs all expectations till there’s nothing left but a man and a woman – simple, flawed, believable.
The kids are okay, not annoying at all (this is something I always struggle with, you may have noticed from previous reviews), and Clooney and Pfeiffer look more than swell together – he with all his head turning and sneaky smiles, and she being stunning, energetic and loveable by both men and women. Both deliver honest performances, and better than that, they look, walk and talk just like regular people – something that is often missing today. Fast paced and with satisfying humour, One Fine Day is optimistic with a hint of charm and creativity, which is just what rom-coms need to be.
Best line? Oribe’s receptionist to Jack: Don’t bother with the cute face. I have 5 sons. You make eyes at me like that, I make you pot roast.
