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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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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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A lot less black-and-white than it could have been.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

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

Zellweger and especially Streep both bring their roles to vivid life with a multi-dimensional blend of warmth, vulnerability, and underlying strength.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

One True Thing celebrates the very things you don't miss, or even know exist, until they are gone.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Meryl Streep is an actress of such transcendent skill and sympathy that she regularly elevates her material, taking it up several notches and giving us feelings, insights, feelings and textures the original writer may have just missed expressing.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Streep shines!

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Franklin is a rare, undeniable talent whose special abilities again shine through.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Its strong cast and restrained direction lift it above the Kleenex.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Streep is luminous as the hypermaternal Kate.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com

One True Thing has the most honest, layered and authentic family dynamic of any American movie in recent memory.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

It is the craftsmanship that elevates One True Thing above the level of a soaper.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

How effective can a tear-jerker be if you're waiting for them to be jerked?

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
rec.arts.movies.reviews

In a time when most movie families are hopelessly dysfunctional, it is refreshing to see one that doesn't quite fit the mold.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

William Hurt delivers his first outstanding performance in years.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Renee Zellweger, in particular, is captivating; she is irresistible as an actress, while Meryl Streep is luminous, perceptive, and courageous.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sensitively written, fluidly directed and expertly acted!

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/01/00
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Poignant, heartfelt and moving...

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/01/00
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

A convincing but restrained melodrama, at times attaining true emotional power.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Wallace Baine
Wallace Baine
rec.arts.movies.reviews
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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