Synopsis
Melanie Parker, an architect and mother of Sammy, and Jack Taylor, a newspaper columnist and father of Maggie, are both divorced. They meet one morning when overwhelmed Jack is left unexpectedly with Maggie and forgets that Melanie was to take her to school. As a result, both children miss their school field trip and are stuck with the parents. The two adults project their negative stereotypes of ex-spouses on each other, but end up needing to rely on each other to watch the children as each must save his job. Humor is added by Sammy's propensity for lodging objects in his nose and Maggie's tendency to wander.
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Cast
- Michelle PfeifferMelanie Parker
- George ClooneyJack Taylor
- Mae WhitmanMaggie Taylor, Jack's daughter
- Alex D. LinzSammy Parker, Melanie's son
- Charles DurningLew, Jack's boss
- Jon Robin BaitzMr. Yates, Jr.
- Ellen GreeneMrs. Elaine Lieberman
- Amanda PeetCelia
- Joe GrifasiManny Feldstein
- Pete HamillFrank Burroughs
Recommendations
- 83
Entertainment Weekly
Clooney proves himself to be a true movie star and romantic leading man. His charm, his energy, even his ease with children (one of any adult actor’s most terrifying challenges) carry One Fine Day into irresistibility. - 80
Washington Post
Happily, Pfeiffer and Clooney, now officially a movie star, not only click, they send off sparks. - 67
Austin Chronicle
For those viewers who can relate to Melanie's and Jack's lives, One Fine Day offers light-hearted romantic fun, but for younger viewers the film may not quite hit the mark. - 63
ReelViews
One Fine Day has a few enchanting moments, such as a scene where Jack sweeps Melanie off her feet (literally), then splashes around in a large puddle of water. However, as a romantic comedy, this is a spotty affair because it's not really funny or romantic enough. Keeping the leads apart might work for something like Sleepless in Seattle, where the intention is to develop an old-fashioned, long-distance romance, but, in a movie like this -- one that's being pulled in so many directions that it's coming apart at the seams -- it's a mistake. For much of its running length, One Fine Day lacks focus and direction, and that makes it one fine mess. - 60
The New York Times
One Fine Day makes for sunny, pleasant fluff. Both stars are enjoyably breezy, and there's enough chemistry to deflect attention from the story's endless contrivances. The screenplay by Terrel Seltzer and Ellen Simon is full of energetic wisecracks. But it's jokey rather than actually funny most of the time. - 60
Empire
Minus delightful stars, this would be laboured indeed. Thanks to them, it scrapes along as modestly appealing fluff. - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
Pfeiffer looks, acts and sounds wonderful throughout all of this, and George Clooney is perfectly serviceable as a romantic lead, sort of a Mel Gibson lite. I liked them. I wanted them to get together. I wanted them to live happily ever after. The sooner the better. - 50
San Francisco Chronicle
One Fine Day is no great shakes, but it avoids being tiresome thanks to the attractiveness of the stars and to a few twists that screenwriters Terrell Seltzer and Ellen Simon offer to differentiate this from other bickering-adversaries-fall-in-love comedies. Both stars also have adorable kids who figure prominently in the plot.
