Watch One True Thing For Free

Strong and Moving!

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Meryl Streep has played lots of married women in her long and storied career. But none quite as radiant and loving as she does in this outstanding family drama. In fact, I wouldn't have thought this a part for Streep at all (this is Susan Sarandon territory). Streep is the total wife and mother to her English professor husband, and published author (William Hurt), and two adult children who have come home to celebrate their father's 55th birthday. I remember liking this movie a lot when it was first released in theaters. I found a copy of the DVD and bought it and last night watched it. I had an entirely different appreciation for Anna Quinlan's richly observed story of a family in crisis as the result of the mother's suffering from a harrowing illness. This is not a spoiler. You know the mother has cancer from the very first frame. My recollection was that Streep was playing a tightly controlled Martha Stewart-type domestic perfectionist and of course, watching it the second time, I realized nothing could be further from the truth. At first you are lulled into thinking this might be the case. She throws a costume birthday party for her husband and seems ridiculous dressed as an aging Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, complete with ruby red slippers and a toy Toto. When her daughter, played by Renee Zelwegger is in the kitchen with her mother, she finds herself corrected constantly but only because her daughter has rejected her mother's domesticity and in the family home, she is a stranger in a strange land--inept and uninterested. The day after the party, we learn that Streep's character is being kept in the hospital for surgery, and suddenly Dad is insisting that his daughter take leave from her job as a reporter for New York Magazine, and stay home to take care of her ailing mother. Bristling with resentment, she obeys her beloved father's demands, but this sets up the stage for many shifting changes in the family dynamic. Tellingly, the daughter says at upfront that she was never close to her mother, and was the perfect Daddy's little girl. She emulated her father to the point where she also became a writer, and looks to him for approval, which he is rather stingy with and often with backhanded criticisms. Meanwhile, the daughter takes on the chores of running the household while taking on the duties of ministering to her mother. She makes lunch for her mother's club, The Minnie's, a group of the town's women who do lots of beautifying and other civic chores. She arrogantly assumes, it's not big deal to cook, but can't cook a lick and the badly prepared meal lays on the plates, mostly untouched. But her mother's praise for her daughter's effort is genuine and laced with love. As Daddy's feet of clay become more brittle, the mother's non-judgmental behavior and warmth and appreciation for her daughter begins to open the younger woman's eyes to the reality of her parent's marriage. Daddy's probable infidelities, his vanity, his literary snobbishness and willingness to kiss ass of a visiting writer he idolizes, show him to be less of a hero in his daughter's eyes. Worse, she see that he does nothing in the house to help make his wife more comfortable, and he increasingly stays away as her condition deteriorates. The daughter's resentment builds to confrontation that leaves her confused and more angry. There's a telling scene near the end of the movie when Streep confronts her daughter about her anger at her father. It is in this beautifully staged scene with Streep and Zelwegger playing superbly together, that the mother reveals to her daughter that she knows everything her daughter knows about her father. She has made her accommodations because that is what you do in a long marriage. She neither asks for her daughter's sympathy, or the audience's indulgence. She's not one of those embarrassed politician's wives who have been humiliated in public and then made to feel shame for sticking it out. She has created a loving home for her family. The mother in this film simply plays her part--as does her husband in this relationship. Streep is absolutely at her subtle best here, never never sacrificing the dignity of this dying woman. There could have been plenty of opportunity to go for the emotionally-charged big moment, but Streep refuses to ask us to feel sorry for her. She is totally in the moment of this character's situation and she's utterly fabulous. Zelwegger, an often outstanding screen actress who has become a bit mannered and fussy in her recent roles, shows how this character has matured through grief and anger, and as she begins to see just how great a mother she's always had, we share those revelations. William Hurt doesn't flinch from this unlikeable character, and the final revelation is cathartic. He's never been my favorite actor, often taking on roles that are hard to like. But his work is rich in characterization and he never overplays or reaches for a cheap emotional payoff either. The role of the brother is not very detailed here, nor is Zellweger rather caddish boyfriend. It was nice to see the young Lauren Graham, playing Zellweger's best friend--her delightful Lorelai Gilmore persona in chrysalis. In many ways, ONE TRUE THING is a throwback--an absorbing family drama full of words and emotions, a throwback to the era of the "woman's pictures" of the 30s and 40s. The three main characters never lose their focus. A very fine movie, well worth your time.

Films like this are ten a penny, but not many can boast the kind of cast this one can. Renee Zellweger plays an ambitious journalist who, under pressure from her college professor father (William Hurt), finds herself having to juggle her career while nursing her terminally ill mother (Meryl Streep). Zellweger's character initially feels she is living under her brilliant father's shadow and considers her mother to be shallow, and looks down upon her community activities with her like-minded middle-aged friends. Of course these attitudes are destined to change. Forced to care for her mother Zellweger founds herself effectively forced to live her mother's life, accompanying her on her Good Samaritan duties at first until the unspecified cancer develops and she must assume all domestic duties.Although, as I wrote earlier, the story isn't particularly original, the study of these three main characters – the fourth family member, Zellweger's younger brother, is pretty much shunted to the sidelines – is quite well written. We learn about Zellweger's parents as she does: mother has hidden depths the daughter never suspected, while the father she has for so long tried to emulate reveals a hidden shallowness that opens her eyes to the misconceptions under which she has laboured. The only thing that bothered me about the script was its occasional tendency to make its point in the most obvious ways: Hurt asks Zellweger to write an introduction for his forthcoming book of essays then immediately asks her to wash his shirts, for example; on another occasion, when Zellweger tells her doctor her mother doesn't need a nurse because her mother can confide in her the doctor pointedly asks 'Can she?' Considering the number of subtle ways in which the script succeeds in other respects, these weaknesses are both surprising and obvious.It's probably the father's character that undergoes the biggest test, mainly because he attempts to carry on his life as normal while his wife is dying and the mental pressures these place upon him are too immense to conceal for any length of time. Forced to face up to the reality of the situation the script allows us to believe that he has become a better person, able to accept his limitations. William Hurt gives a typically accomplished performance in the role, as does Meryl Streep as the mother. While the film is told from Zellweger's viewpoint, it's these two who get all the best scenes The film does tend to become a series of emotional speeches and set-pieces in the final couple of reels, with each character going through their own revelatory moment. The parents learn from the child (and from each other) as the child has learned from the parents, and the dignity of life, however shallow or bedevilled by secret doubts it might be, is reinforced. If you're one of those people who blubs easily at films make sure you have a box of man-size tissues close to hand because you're going to need them, and even if you pride yourself on remaining dry-eyed during scenes of high emotion be prepared to swallow the lump in your throat every now and then.

this is one very good movie.it's all about love and loss,two pretty heavy themes.it's not at all depressing,but there's a lot of depth her,bot to the story and to the performance of Meryl Streep.there are good supporting performances,such as Renee Zellwegger,and William Hurt.James Ekhouse(The dad from the Original Bevery hills 90210)who i really like as an actor,has a small role,as does Tom Everett Scott.but the movie belongs to Streep,who who is brilliant here.also the makeup artists did brilliant work here,as well.this is no lite drama.it's pretty thought provoking.it's pretty intense,so it's not for everyone.but if heavy drama is your thing,you might want to check out this movie.

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.