Franklin seems ill-suited to this cast and this material.
One True Thing (1998)
Tomatometer
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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
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Reviews for One True Thing
Unfortunately, director Carl Franklin paces the film with a dirge-like rhythm. And its lengthiness is hardly mitigated by William Hurt's lackluster performance.
Typical Meryl, as Streep Streeps her way through another wintry family crisis movie.
Streep and Hurt, two of the best gestural actors working, let the showboating tics fly fast and thick.
Even director Carl Franklin...can't prevent One True Thing from descending into chick-movie hell.
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.
There isn't one schmaltzy moment in the entire film, and any tears the viewer sobs into their hankies are well-earned.
The script shifts audience sympathies about quite adroitly, though it's a pity all the men had to be such humbugs.
It's a sad film that deals with tragic events. But the appeals to emotion are wholly honest and not the least bit crude.
Heartfelt acting and imaginative filmmaking transform soap-opera into an affecting screen experience.
One of those rare films -- a movie that is genuinely sad and moving without being melodramatic, sentimental or hokey.
A heart-affecting film that challenges us to confront some of the myths and meanings we have constructed about our parents.
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June 23, 2008:
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