The plot device employed in the romantic comedy "One Fine Day" is that the entire story takes place during a single day. Melanie Parker (Michelle Pfeiffer), the mother of six year-old Sammy, and Jack Taylor (George Clooney), father of six year- old Maggie (Mae Whitman), meet for the first time when both are late dropping off their offspring for a school field trip. Because it is essentially Jack's fault that both are late, the two adults don't immediately hit it off. But just wait, because you know it's coming eventually.
The film is comprised of one crisis after another as both Jack and Melanie reach critical points in their respective careers and must leave both kids in the care of their counterpart at various times. When they do get together, for such reasons as switching cell phones back to their rightful owners, the sparks of battle fly. Over the course of the day, these become admiration, respect, and not a little lust.
Although the development of a heartfelt romance during a few scant hours may be stretching the limits of credibility, "One Fine Day" deftly manages to make the relationship feel natural. In the film, Pfeiffer and Clooney are both funny and appealing and show a definite chemistry together. The two youngsters in the film are real charmers and only sporadically show signs of the unnatural precociousness often displayed in films and television. All in all a winning combination, and one suitable for family viewing.