"A Perfect Day" is another drama with a Christmas setting that has a different plot. It's a very good one, with some interesting twists. The screenplay is a little awkward, but what earns this film such a low rating is the acting. Some of the cast are quite good, and others are passable. But the lead role of Rob Harlan is, frankly, terrible.
I have seen other films with Rob Lowe and some are very good. He seems to specialize in or go for roles in which he plays a bad guy who reforms. Not in the civil or criminal sense, but in the work-obsessed husband and/or neglectful father sense. In most such films, he plays a know-it-all mate and father who gradually comes to his senses after some encounters with other people.
But in this film, Lowe seems overly negative and a real sourpuss. His wise guy persona and flippant attitude at times just paint him as a guy one has a hard time believing really loves his wife and daughter. Then, when he hits it big, he continues his sourpuss persona along with a very wooden performance.
The guy just has no life or spark that makes his character believable in any mode. He surely did much better in other films, but he turns this one into a forgettable waste of time. My five stars are mostly for some very good acting by a few of the cast, and one superb job by Paget Brewster as his wife, Allyson.
If Lowe or any other actor had put his heart and soul into the lead role in this movie, it would have made it a memorable repeat film for the Christmas season. But, as it is, this is one holiday film that one can skip without missing anything.
I have seen other films with Rob Lowe and some are very good. He seems to specialize in or go for roles in which he plays a bad guy who reforms. Not in the civil or criminal sense, but in the work-obsessed husband and/or neglectful father sense. In most such films, he plays a know-it-all mate and father who gradually comes to his senses after some encounters with other people.
But in this film, Lowe seems overly negative and a real sourpuss. His wise guy persona and flippant attitude at times just paint him as a guy one has a hard time believing really loves his wife and daughter. Then, when he hits it big, he continues his sourpuss persona along with a very wooden performance.
The guy just has no life or spark that makes his character believable in any mode. He surely did much better in other films, but he turns this one into a forgettable waste of time. My five stars are mostly for some very good acting by a few of the cast, and one superb job by Paget Brewster as his wife, Allyson.
If Lowe or any other actor had put his heart and soul into the lead role in this movie, it would have made it a memorable repeat film for the Christmas season. But, as it is, this is one holiday film that one can skip without missing anything.