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Movies / On DVD / One True Thing
One True Thing

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One True Thing (1998)

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Reviews Counted:61

Fresh:54

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.2/10

Consensus: Solid performances lift this drama to a higher level.

Runtime: 2 hrs 8 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: ONE TRUE THING tells the sobering story of a family whose strength is tested when tragedy strikes. Ellen Gulden (Renee Zellweger), a writer living in New York City, has dedicated her life to... ONE TRUE THING tells the sobering story of a family whose strength is tested when tragedy strikes. Ellen Gulden (Renee Zellweger), a writer living in New York City, has dedicated her life to becoming a successful journalist. When she learns that her mother, Kate (Meryl Streep--nominated for an Oscar for her performance) is dying of cancer, her life is forever altered. Ellen's father, George Gulden (William Hurt), a National Book Award winner and university professor, pressures her into moving home and sacrificing her own life for her mother's sake. The pressure of running the household combined with the pain of seeing her mother grow terminally ill threatens to overwhelm Ellen, and she is further upset when she discovers that her father may not be the ideal she thought he was. Based on the book by journalist Anna Quindlen, ONE TRUE THING tackles its serious subject matter without becoming heavy-handed, a tribute to Carl Franklin's (ONE FALSE MOVE) accomplished, compassionate direction. [More]

Starring: Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Tom Everett Scott

Starring: Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Tom Everett Scott, Lauren Graham, Nicky Katt, James Eckhouse, Patrick Breen, Gerrit Graham

Director: Carl Franklin

Director: Carl Franklin
Screenwriter: Karen Croner
Producer: Jesse Beaton, Harry J. Ufland
Composer: Cliff Eidelman

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Mar 16, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for One True Thing

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Franklin seems ill-suited to this cast and this material.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unfortunately, director Carl Franklin paces the film with a dirge-like rhythm. And its lengthiness is hardly mitigated by William Hurt's lackluster performance.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Feld
Bruce Feld
Film Journal International

Typical Meryl, as Streep Streeps her way through another wintry family crisis movie.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

Streep and Hurt, two of the best gestural actors working, let the showboating tics fly fast and thick.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even director Carl Franklin...can't prevent One True Thing from descending into chick-movie hell.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/11/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Streep's work elevates what is otherwise a middling melodrama that's part coming-to-terms-with-your-family story and part 'few-months-to-live' plot.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Walter V. Addiego
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Examiner

There isn't one schmaltzy moment in the entire film, and any tears the viewer sobs into their hankies are well-earned.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/18/08
Channel 4 Film

Zellweger gives a rich performance!

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

No review available.

comment Comment
01/01/00
USA Today

The script shifts audience sympathies about quite adroitly, though it's a pity all the men had to be such humbugs.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out

Streep's performance makes the movie worth seeing.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Fenster
Bob Fenster
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a sad film that deals with tragic events. But the appeals to emotion are wholly honest and not the least bit crude.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Pumps new life into the dying-nobly-of-a-horrible-disease genre

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

It's Streep to the max!

comment Comment
01/01/00
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Heartfelt acting and imaginative filmmaking transform soap-opera into an affecting screen experience.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Honest, perceptive and moving!

Full Review Source: NUVO Newsweekly | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Johnson-Ott
Edward Johnson-Ott
NUVO Newsweekly

One of those rare films -- a movie that is genuinely sad and moving without being melodramatic, sentimental or hokey.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
05/22/03
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

A heart-affecting film that challenges us to confront some of the myths and meanings we have constructed about our parents.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/03/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

We're here for the acting, and we get it.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/01/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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