One Fine Day (1996)

Directed by: Michael Hoffman | 108 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Michelle Pfeiffer, George Clooney, Mae Whitman, Alex D. Linz, Charles Durning, Jon Robin Baitz, Ellen Greene, Joe Grifasi, Pete Hamill, Anne Maria Horsford

George Clooney in a romantic comedy, who would have ever thought? He plays his childish, chaotic role very convincingly. Especially in embarrassing scenes, for example those in which he tries to explain to his psychologist in the presence of his daughter that he wants a woman who also loves his daughter, he is on a roll. Michelle Pfeiffer is very funny as a clumsy character. She shows a lot of guts by walking around half the movie with smeared mascara. One Fine day is a romantic comedy and then you expect a certain chemistry between the actors. And that’s what Clooney and Pfeiffer have.

And Mae Whitman (Maggie) and Alex D. Linz (Sammy) are also a successful duo. Whitman has often played the daughter of famous actors. She was the daughter of President Bill Pullman in ‘Independence Day’, of Sandra Bullock in ‘Hope Floats’ and of Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan in ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’.

The sidelines around Jack and Melanie, in which they both try to save their jobs, are also very funny and touching. It’s a nice round story and all the storylines are worked out. The camera work is creative. As a viewer, you start the film through the window of Melanie’s apartment and you leave the story at the end.

Of course, everything goes wrong in this comedy. Sammy has a tendency to put everything up his nose and he naturally does that just as Jack looks after the kids. Maggie likes to roam and gets so lost if Melanie looked after the kids. Between the hilarity about the kids, the adults also get time to have entertaining scenes with each other and you notice that the walls around them are slowly breaking down. The ending of the film could have been a little shorter, otherwise it is a successful romantic comedy. Pure enjoyment!