Laid off when his Glasgow shipbuilding job goes overseas, Frank (Peter Mullan) tries to offshore himself … by swimming across the English Channel. His training regimen allows Frank, and the eccentric mates who assist him, to reassert his manhood; it also gives him a chance to redeem himself for the loss of a dead son (who drowned, naturally) and his rejection of a living one. The film may seem familiar in Pittsburgh, which experienced similar symptoms of postindustrial despair … right down to the hints of anti-Asian prejudice. Indeed, Gaby Dellal’s Clear Day covers much the same ground as 1997’s The Full Monty … charmingly offbeat blue-collar workers redefine masculinity amidst economic decline. Alex Rose’s script has a slightly darker feel and argues that Frank must overcome his own patriarchal attitudes. But that’s not enough to overwhelm Clear Day‘s essential amiability … or to overcome its predictable plot and stock characters. Manor (CP) 
This article appears in Jun 8-14, 2006.
