To quote the words of that most endearing southerner Forrest Gump, movie soundtracks are like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. On the one hand you have quality compilations that manage to stand on their own two feet like Go, Human Traffic, and anything from Quentin Tarantino. On the other you have instances like the Tomb Raider 2 soundtrack, a certifiably shithouse collection of unreleased tracks that weren’t even considered worthy of being released as B-sides. And now comes the soundtrack to the new Aussie flick One Perfect Day, a film that incidentally has been heavily promoted within the dance community.

I’ll refrain from making any cynical comments on filmmakers cashing in on popular sub-cultures (mainly because I haven’t seen the film yet). While it remains to be seen whether One Perfect Day will be successful or simply tank like so many other recent Australian films, the soundtrack shows the potential to be a big crossover hit. The film’s director Paul Currie has commented that the soundtrack was intended less as a hipper-than-thou collection of underground tunes, and more as an entry point for those interested in what awaits them in the dance scene. And on this level, One Perfect Day is reasonably successful.

The first CD is a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. A number of rock/dance crossover tunes are featured, like the Josh Abraham mix of The Offcuts’ Break It (Down James Brown), and the Unkle mix of The Queens of the Stone Age’s No One Knows. And there are more than a few instantly recognisable dance choones: Futureshock’s Late at Night pumps away as we all know, and Underworld’s One Month Off is a blissfully uplifting song. In a strive to remain accessible, the soundtrack covers all bases – demonstrated by the inclusion of tracks like Ms Dynamite’s Krazy Krush. While this is bearable for the most part, the flipside is a failure to establish any form of continuity, as many of the songs don’t gel as a whole. And you really have to question the logic of including an Elton John remix, as smoothly produced as it is.

The second CD is a little more effective in its continuity, making for a much better journey overall. Included are quite a few tunes that are indisputably dance classics; Laurent Garnier’s The Man With The Red Face, [Love Tattoo]’s Drop Some Drums. On top of this, it also features quality contributions from the likes of C.J. Bolland, Stereo MCs, and Nubreed as well as Lamb’s unforgettable signature tune Gorecki, which you know will be used to heart-wrenching and emotionally manipulative effect in the film.

A recent poll on ITM posed the question as to whether a good soundtrack should inspire you to go and see the film, and this is most telling for One Perfect Day. There are no snippets of dialogue to give the listener any context – how are we even meant to know that we’re listening to a soundtrack? I’m hardly inspired to rush out and see the movie. As it is, One Perfect Day is a collection of songs that you’ve probably already heard before, complimented by more than a few random and seemingly pointless inclusions that aren’t even worth mentioning. Even Lydia Denker’s title track One Perfect Day is a pretty stock-standard power rock ballad, and the Paul Van Dyk produced remix is probably what is more likely to be remembered. The only value that is retained in the collection is the way that the director intended – as an entry point for those interested in dance music. This is probably the only thing that will stop the One Perfect Day soundtrack from quickly disappearing into obscurity.