One Fine Day is a 1996 American romantic comedy and drama film directed by Michael Hoffman. The movie stars Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, with Alex D. Linz and Mae Whitman playing their children. The film’s name comes from the 1963 song "One Fine Day" by Carole King, which appears in the movie.

Michelle Pfeiffer was an executive producer for the film, which was made with the help of her company, Via Rosa Productions. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the track "For the First Time."

Plot

Melanie Parker is an architect who has a difficult morning when she is late dropping off her son, Sammy, at school. This happens because Jack Taylor, a divorced father and reporter for the New York Daily News, forgets to take care of his daughter, Maggie, that morning. Maggie is left with Jack by his ex-wife, who is going on a honeymoon with her new husband. Melanie and Jack arrive at the school just in time to miss a field trip on a Circle Line boat cruise. They realize they must work together to watch the children because both have very busy schedules.

During a taxi ride, Melanie and Jack accidentally switch cell phones. This causes them to receive calls meant for the other person all morning, and they must relay the messages. Melanie has an important meeting to present an architectural design to a client. Jack is trying to find information about the mayor’s connections to a mob. At Melanie’s office, Sammy causes trouble by playing with toy cars, which makes her trip and break a model display. Frustrated, Melanie takes Sammy to a daycare center having a "Superhero Day," where she finds Jack trying to get Maggie to behave. They create costumes for the children using Jack’s ideas and Melanie’s creativity. Melanie takes her broken model to a shop to get it fixed.

Later, Melanie receives a call from Sammy about a child who took a psychedelic drug. She calls Jack, who agrees to pick up the children if Melanie takes care of them at 3:15 p.m. while he finds a news source. While watching the children, Maggie goes missing from a store and walks far down a busy sidewalk. Melanie panics, files a missing child report, and goes to a mayoral press conference to find Jack. The police tell Jack that Maggie has been found, and he arrives at the conference just in time to confront the mayor with his news about corruption.

Melanie and Jack work together to take the children to a soccer game. Melanie insists on giving her presentation to new clients first, even though Jack says it will make them late. She starts her talk at a lounge but decides to leave when she sees Sammy happy. The clients are impressed, and she is not fired. At the game, Melanie meets her ex-husband, Eddie, who tells her he cannot take Sammy fishing in the summer because he will be touring with Bruce Springsteen.

That evening, Jack takes Maggie to buy goldfish to replace ones eaten by a cat earlier. At Melanie’s apartment, the children watch The Wizard of Oz while Melanie and Jack share their first kiss. Melanie goes to the bathroom and returns to find Jack asleep on the sofa. She joins him, and they fall asleep together as the children watch.

Production

Clooney's character was not in the original script. Producer Lynda Obst explained the change: "We were being very sexist. There are many divorced, single working fathers who experience the same challenges." The studios first wanted Kevin Costner or Tom Cruise to play Jack Taylor, but they declined. Clooney ultimately got the role. The film was shot in 44 locations in Manhattan.

Soundtrack

"One Fine Day: Music from the Motion Picture" is the soundtrack album for the film. It was released on December 10, 1996, by Columbia Records. The album reached number 57 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1997.

Reception

The movie One Fine Day earned $6.2 million during its first weekend in theaters, placing it in fifth position at the box office. It was behind the films Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, Jerry Maguire, 101 Dalmatians, and Scream.

On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 56% based on 36 reviews. The site’s critics agreed that the movie has a 1930s style and is a fun romantic comedy, but it is best suited for a day when someone might enjoy doing simple tasks like folding laundry. Metacritic, which calculates scores using an average, gave the film a rating of 56 out of 100 based on 21 reviews. This score suggests the movie received mixed or average feedback. Twentieth Century Fox considered the film a commercial disappointment.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times described the movie as a 1950s-style romantic comedy with some modern elements, such as cell phones and busy parents. She noted that the actors perform well and have good chemistry, even though the story has many unrealistic situations. She also praised George Clooney for his natural acting and Michelle Pfeiffer for her physical comedy.

Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times mentioned a quote from filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard about how movies often focus on boys photographing girls. He said One Fine Day is a predictable and unoriginal film, but Michelle Pfeiffer gives a strong performance. He noted that George Clooney is a good romantic lead but not as memorable as other actors.

Rita Kempley of The Washington Post highlighted the director, Michael Hoffman, who uses traditional filmmaking techniques like split-screen scenes to make phone conversations more interesting. She praised Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney for their chemistry and said they work well together.

Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times noted that the film benefits from having Michelle Pfeiffer, a talented actress, and George Clooney, who is becoming a major romantic star. However, he said the film’s story is not original, and the actors are not given enough creative material to work with.

Edward Guthmann of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the film has been seen before, but Pfeiffer and Clooney try to make it feel fresh and enjoyable. However, the movie is not memorable and only serves as a simple, forgettable distraction.

Rob Nelson of The Boston Phoenix pointed out that the film relies on unrealistic situations, such as characters moving quickly across the city, which makes the story less believable. He said these easy solutions prevent the film from exploring the real issues it claims to address, such as the fast-paced lifestyle of the 1990s.