One Fine Day

  • Review Date: January 28, 2007
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 1996
Review

Common Sense Media says

Clooney and Pfeiffer plus kids is fun romp.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know the movie touches on issues such as divorce and absentee parents. One child wanders off continuously, scaring caregivers. Overall this is light, romantic, escapist fare.

  • Positive messages3
    Despite frantic schedules and random crises, main characters rise to the challenge and ultimately remain responsible, loving parents. Another character skirts his parental duties.
  • Violence0
    One child continues to wander off, scaring caregivers, one of whom screams her name standing on top of a car.
  • Sex0
    Melanie and Jack kiss passionately in one of the final scenes. Melanie is shown in a bra while she's trying on different outfits.
  • Language3
    Jack says "Goddamnit" and "bastard."
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    Characters drink cocktails at an after-work business meeting. One child overhears another mention "LSD" and asks parent what it is.
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What's the story?

In this fast-paced romantic comedy, multitasking single mom and architect Melanie (Michelle Pfeiffer) meets journalist Jack (George Clooney), who is taking care of daughter Maggie for a week while his former wife honeymoons with her new spouse. The two immediately clash when they find themselves towing their children around Manhattan after they miss a class field trip, because Melanie is a bit of a control freak while Jack charms his way through life. As they careen through the day as an unexpected team, the feelings between Melanie and Jack begin to thaw, and they reevaluate their opinions of each other (and themselves). Will the gun-shy survivors of divorce take a chance on love? Their kids seem to know the answer from the start.

Is it any good?

 

Sometimes the parents' constant bickering threatens to bring the movie down, but the kids save these scenes from descending into nastiness with their cute antics. And when the adults' identical-looking cell phones accidentally get switched, this makes for an enjoyable running gag.

Melanie and Jack gamely try to balance their workdays with parenting, a tactic that yields both disastrous results and touching moments. A final romantic sequence feels a bit too long and slow compared with the rest of the movie's quick-moving plot, but overall it's entertaining.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how the main characters complement each other, despite their initial feelings of dislike. Why do you think it's hard for these divorced parents to hit it off? How is it hard for kids of parents who date? Why does Melanie have pictures of her ex-husband everywhere? Why is it so scary for parents when a child wanders off?

This review was written by Teresa Talerico
Teen, 14 years old
December 27, 2008
AGE
9
 
super sweet, super funny, super fun!
this is a great movie! it is very funny, very sweet, and completly captures all the stuff a parents has to go through! there are a few kisses, but nothing very sexual. a tiny bit of language, but no violence.
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April 9, 2008
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This review was written by Teresa Talerico
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox
Director:Michael Hoffman
Cast:George Clooney, Mae Whitman, Michelle Pfeiffer
Genre:Comedy
Run time:108 minutes
Theatrical release date:December 20, 1996
DVD release date:January 14, 2003
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:language and mild sensuality.
This review was written by Teresa Talerico
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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