A Perfect Day

I was pleasantly surprised after watching A Perfect Day. I expected clichés and something rather "cute", although reviews had warned me that the film has a dark side.

The names Rob Lowe and Christopher Lloyd are very well known, but Frances Conroy, known to many as "Ruth Fisher" of Six Feet Under, was a bonus, playing a key role.

The plot itself was not particularly original, but the treatment of the story was quite ingenious, and I was quite pleased with the acting.

Robert Harlan (Rob Lowe) is fired at the beginning of the story by a man who says, much in the manner of Scrooge, "It's only business." This theme is repeated throughout the movie, very effectively.

Allyson (Paget Brewster), Harlan's wife, is completely supportive of him and encourages him to write a book. We discover that he has already begun this book but has little confidence in his ability to do anything with it. He completes the book and is soon contacted by Camile (Frances Conroy), a literary agent who gives him his first big break, soon catapulting him to unexpected, incredible success.

This is where the story really takes off. Michael (Christopher Lloyd) plays a mysterious role in Harlan's new life; the exact nature of that role is not fully revealed until the end of the movie.

While many events are fully predictable—it is soon clear that Harlan's life is becoming increasingly unhappy as he becomes more and more successful—there are major plot twists that will leave many viewers quite surprised at the end and perhaps even eager to see the movie again.

"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 always like Christmas themed films and had enjoyed Rob Lowe's Sam Seaborn in The West Wing so had high hopes for this film.

For the first hour or so it's a decent film. We've seen the concept of a small town writer getting a hit and becoming famous only to lose his family lots of times before but for the most part it's an enjoyable plot with Lowe giving a good performance and Paget Brewster stealing every scene from him.

But then the change happens. It gets dark, it gets twisted and grim which for a Christmas film you don't need. The ending is trite and rushed leaving you wondering why you cared for these characters in the first place. I can see why the writers felt that it needed to shake the film up a bit but this was far too much.

Rob Harlan (Rob Lowe) was expecting a promotion but gets laid off from his 15 year radio sales job. He is encouraged by his wife (Paget Brewster) to finish his novel. The book, A Perfect Day, is a heart-wrenching story inspired by his wife and her father. They grow disillusioned with the piling rejections, and then they are surprised by book agent Camille Bailey (Frances Conroy). The success of the book slowly drives a wedge in their marriage. A mysterious stranger (Christopher Lloyd) warns him over and over again.

I don't like Rob Harlan and that starts right from the beginning. I have grown more hesitant about Rob Lowe as a public figure over the years but this is mostly about this character. He's selfish even in the beginning. I don't love the wife either but she has other people in her mind. I do get the idea of adapting A Christmas Carol into a modern story but then the twist goes off the rails. It could have been a simple clunky morality tale but even that is taken away by the final twist. It's not good but at least, it could have been functional.

"A Perfect Day" is tolerably preachy, tolerably predictable, tolerably sentimental -- and provides a perfect (mind-wandering) way to wile away 90 minutes with your eyes half-glued to the TV set (and possibly wishing Rob Lowe were 20 years younger).

The "guardian angel" surprise at the end (if not all that convincing) was appreciably clever enough to allow me to award the film three generous stars.

Without expecting anything intellectually challenging or profound, go right ahead and watch it once -- then make a gift of it to a simpering relative.