One True Thing

source: One True Thing

One True Thing

Based on the Novel by Anna Quindlen, 'One True Thing', directed by Carl Franklin, is a Senstive Film, that is Real & Moving. Another thing, the performances are super here! 'One True Thing' tells the story of a career oriented girl, who is forced to take care of her cancer-stick-en mother. It's about pleasure, It's about pain and it's about a family. Screenplay by Karen Croner, is challenging & moving. The relationships are effectively executed. Carl Franklin directs this story efficiently. Cinematography & Editing are good. Performance-Wise: Meryl Streep is dependable, as always. Renne Zellweger is fantastic. She delivers in every sequence. William Hurt is restrained. Tom Evertt Scott has a brief role. Nicky Katt does well. On the whole, A Well-Made film, that deserves a watch.

This film is based on Anna Quindlen's novel about a Harvard graduate who returns home to care for her ailing mother played by who else but Meryl Street. Her daughter is played by Renee Zellweger. Her husband and family patriarch is played by William Hurt who is an English professor in a college town and department chair with his own secrets. The film was filmed in New Jersey and at a professor's house in Madison, New Jersey not far from Meryl Streep's hometown of Bernards, NJ. The film was filmed in New Jersey and featured a lot of New York City based actors like the wonderful Sloane Shelton and Marcia Jean Kurtz. Lauren Graham is featured as one of Ellen's best friend. The story is the usual-based and Meryl Streep does give a terrific performance. She makes the film come alive but she has a terrific supporting cast that makes a mediocre script come alive.

Meryl Streep as Kate, a woman dying of cancer, performs her role admirably. No wonder she was up for an Oscar. In the part she proves that caring and nurturing housewives are just as important as their sisters out in the business world. And the lesson she teaches about life's expectations and their lack of fulfillment as the relationship grows, that is the most important thing she teaches her daughter. We can expect too much of our mates. Realize that there are many slips and forgiveness or understanding are the main ingredients of a happy life. This is a sombre movie and the ending though sad, shows reconciliation between the father and daughter. I give this one a ten.

Written by someone who has been there, you can tell, but only if you've been there. Excellent performances by Meryl Streep (of course!), Renee Zellweger and William Hurt. Many people have said that it is about a dysfunctional family, I think every family is dysfunctional when they are facing this kind of torment. To NOT be dysfunctional would be dysfunctional! You are losing your family as you know it, can anything be worse? People need to see this movie so when they are faced with this nightmare maybe they will change how they do it. Maybe they will see that the father is denying himself valuable time he'll never get a chance at again. Maybe they will realize how hard it is to die, or to watch someone you love die. They didn't miss much of the nightmare, it's hard to forget.

The reason I think this movie is fabulous is that it has so many layers of emotion. From the script and the fabulous acting you can tell that there is a history behind all of the feelings that there are. You understand why the characters take certain actions and why the do not make others. You can feel sympathy and joy and love and sorrow for them all at once. You see humanity at its best AND at it's worst. You can relate to the characters because although you may have never been in their exact situations before you see qualities and downfalls in them that you see in yourself. To a certain extent this movie kind of keeps you wondering but then at the end it explains itself and you feel a certain peace and understanding not only in you but for the characters. I will say that I have have never EVER cried so much in my life nor have gotten so much out of something. I implore you to watch this movie and take it's meaning to heart. That there is only one true thing and that is... love.

One True Thing is an beautifully made film with an established cast. Renee Zellweger plays the journalist daughter of Meryl Streep and William Hurt, who also put in excellent performances. Zellweger shines in the emotional movie as she discovers her childhood memories of her parents are not what she thinks they are. Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls also has a part in this movie as Ellen's (Zellweger) friend Jules, although this is a bit part, she truly adds to the storyline. A moving and beautiful story, I recommend it. 8/10 Stars

As William Hurt also said in The Accidental Tourist, "Less..is invariably more". I guess many of us do live in denial, trying to slip through life as if certain things weren't happening. It is true that rude awakenings sometimes are the only ways for some of us to open our eyes and smell the coffee. William Hurt executed the egotistic father's role like no one ever has before. He is gifted at portraying the role of the "blind" husband. I guess if Kathleen Turner had played the wife's part in this movie he would have had a much harder time. I believe the three of them (Hurt, Streep and Zellweger) portrayed a real family story, something far from the typical Hollywood drama. They were able to show the strong and weak sides of being human and bearing family responsibilities. Very beautiful movie, very descriptive with several not-so-long scenes. Indeed, sometimes less..is invariably more.

I enjoyed this movie as much as you can, given the subject matter. Streep is completely amazing, Renee has some great moments, and Hurt does his usual preppy jerk routine. Several scenes will make you cry, but this is not the usual fatal-disease-in-the-family fare that you might expect it to be, thanks to Carl Franklin, who keeps the story fresh when stereotypes and cliches prevail.