A Perfect Day (2006 TV Movie) User Reviews

The lead role does this film in as a Holiday treat

[SimonJack · 5/10 · 3 January 2019]

"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.

Nice, pleasant, TV Christmas movie for family , previously seen Many Times .

[jaybob · 7/10 · 7 February 2009]

My summary says it all,

We have seen this type film so many times before & yet due to some fine acting & knowing its a TV movie from TNT. I did not expect more than I saw.

Rob Lowe can to this type role in his sleep, He is a very fine actor but has yet to find a role to match his potential,.

The rest of fine cast is from TV, they include,

Christopher LLoyd,Frances Conroy, Rowena King, Paget Brewster &

Meggie Geisland as cute daughter Carson, You must have a cute

child in this type of film.

I also liked the fact the film was not cloyingly clever.

It is a pleasant 91 minute DVD. with NO annoying

out of place song score.

Eatings: *** )out of 4) 81 points (out of 100)IMDB 7 )out of 10)

Okay Christmas story and morality tale

[herrcarter-92161 · 7/10 · 13 March 2024]

This was an okay movie. I thought Rob Lowe gave a good performance as Robert Harlan, the family man, trying to do the right thing, but caught up temporarily in the success of his book and letting it go to his head. He wasn't always a likable character, but we could relate to him and imagine how it would be if we were given overnight fame and wealth, and how we'd deal with it. The supporting cast was good too, particularly Paget Brewster as Rob's wife Allyson, I liked the message of the story, which was that your relationships with others, particularly with your family, are the most important thing, and that worldly success can't be allowed to supersede them.

This movie was pretty faithful to the Richard Paul Evans book, but I must say that this was not my favorite Evans book. The main message is sound and important, but it is handled too clumsily. I really didn't like how Allyson makes Rob feel guilty for all the time he has to spend away from the family to promote his book. It's part of his job. It's like a military wife making her husband feel guilty because he has to go on deployment for 6 months. And them going from a loving couple and family to the edge of divorce in just a few months? A little extreme, I'd say. Sure, they needed to have a conversation about how his new career as a writer would affect their family, and to what extent he wanted to be involved in it. But his wife should've been supportive, not angry and vindictive.

The weird twist ending was pretty bad too. So, the guy Robert was seeing wasn't really an angel and Robert wasn't really going to die. It was all just an elaborate setup by his former agent to get him to take his family responsibilities seriously again. Really? It was just too pat and forced a resolution. I think the story would have been just fine without that bizarre plot point. He could have come to the realization that he had been a jerk to his family and that he missed them, without thinking an angel was telling him he was going to die.

I liked this movie and wanted to like it. I just wish the story hadn't been so clunky in spots. Again, this is not my favorite Evans work. He is one of my favorite authors and is capable of much better. I'm guessing this was a case of him having to get something out before a deadline. Even so, I appreciated the message in this movie.

terrible---you'll never get this time back in your life

[shawlawoff · 1/10 · 23 December 2007]

This movie is awful. At the end of it you will realize that several hours have been stolen from your life that you can't get back. The "twist" ending is very contrived. The character development leading up to this ending is not consistent with their final actions at the conclusion. Ninety minutes of preparation-- with the premise that the Rob Lowe character will die on Christmas Eve-- is explained away in literally ninety seconds of "No we were just tricking you." Then the Rob Lowe character is not even upset about it! "I will forgive you if you can forgive me," is as upset as he gets. If someone took weeks to convince me I was about to die and then said "No, sorry , just fooling you" I would raise some serious hell. I don't feel bad about giving away the spoiler because I might be able to save some of you out there from watching. Please save yourself and DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE.

bad to the last drop

[SnoopyStyle · 3/10 · 27 December 2020]

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.

In no way perfect

[studioAT · 1/10 · 19 April 2013]

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.

Typical Lifetime Channel Fare

[joelbklyn · 4/10 · 22 April 2011]

"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.

Great 2006 Christmas Story

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 21 December 2006]

Figured this TV Film was going to be the typical Christmas Story and since I like Rob Lowe, I decided to give it a try and was completely surprised through out the entire film. Rob Lowe (Robert Harlan) gets fired from his job and then decides to try his hand at writing a book with the constant encouragement of his wife Paget Brewster (Allyson Harlan). All of a sudden Robert's life changes completely and so does his soul, so to speak. The rest of the story will make us all face up to the fact that we sometimes focus too much on material things and neglect just plain Love to our neighbors and family. This has the makings of being a great Christmas tradition for all families to watch and enjoy and take good heed to the story which is revealed to us in this Wonderful TV Film. Enjoy every year.

Surprisingly good film

[gaer-1 · 8/10 · 12 January 2007]

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.

Decent enough for a made for TV Christmas movie

[juneebuggy · 22 November 2014]

Not bad for a made-for-TV- Lifetime Christmas movie, although in saying that there's nothing outstanding or new here either. Rob Lowe makes this worth watching however and I enjoyed the beginning where he's an out of work, struggling author who ends up digging ditches to support his family.

As the story goes on Rob's first book becomes a blockbuster and he hits the big time, going out on an endless book tour complete with a new ego, groupies and a progressive case of neglect for his family.

With the introduction of Christopher Lloyd's mysterious angel/conscience character, the plot lost my interest a bit and ultimately, as interesting as that idea was it was never fully fleshed out so that in the end you're left saying what!? Based on a novel by Richard Paul Evans. 12.24.13

Cameo of author

[karizeeman · 9/10 · 4 January 2022]

I love this movie and I loved the book too. The author of the book has a cameo in the movie. Look up his picture then watch the movie and you'll find him he walks across the restaurant in one of the restaurants scenes.