Time for some saccharine sweet romance. I saw ‘One Fine Day’ in the theatre 13 years ago and for some reason, the charm of the movie stayed with me. The story of two single parents who find each other on a horrendous day is stuff that dreams are made of and is a good escape from reality.
Jack Taylor and Melanie Parker are two professionals who are looking out for that break in their career. They are single parents to a girl and a boy who go to the same school. They bump into each other while unsuccessfully trying to drop their children off to a day camp on a day when both their careers are on the line. The ensuing friction and subsequent attraction are predictable but the treatment is sweet and charming.
You can end up asking the same questions as you would of any movie where things just seem to fall in place. Two good looking single parents, strange chemistry, single dad has a daughter, single mom has a son, both have a void to fill, look to fill it with each other. However, the film is designed to make you feel good and believe in the power of possibility and it should be seen that way.
This was George Clooney’s early successes and his performance as the irritating yet affable Jack Taylor is endearing as is the ever so gorgeous Michelle Pfieffer’s performance as the strong yet vulnerable single mom who is struggling to put aside her sense of self-empowerment as she finds herself giving into the charm of Taylor. The chemistry between the two principal actors is what holds the film together through its one-day story.
One sequence that remains with me is that of a distraught Michelle Pfieffer standing atop a New York cab screaming out the name of Taylor’s daughter whom she was supposed to babysit for a while. Director Michael Hoffman brings out many instances where the void seen by a single parent is sensitively depicted. This ultimately draws the protagonists closer together.
‘One Fine Day’ is worth watching if you are in the mood for some escapist fare to escape the drudgery of the real world.