One True Thing Review
by Jamie Peck (jpeck1 AT gl DOT umbc DOT edu)January 17th, 1999
ONE TRUE THING
Reviewed by Jamie Peck
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Universal / 2:07 / 1998 / R (language, thematic elements)
Cast: Meryl Streep; Renee Zellweger; William Hurt; Tom Everett Scott; Lauren Graham; Nicky Katt; James Eckhouse
Director: Carl Franklin
Screenplay: Karen Croner
------------------------------------------------------------------------ In "One True Thing," Meryl Streep's Kate Gulden, a middle-aged mother of two, makes her grand entrance dispensing generous advice and big hugs, baking a chocolate cake and proudly flaunting her homemade "Wizard of Oz" Dorothy attire, complete with yarn pigtails, in preparation for a costume party. Right away, you identify with this woman; she's the kind of mom you either have, had or wish you had — loving, tolerant, creative in a way that puts Martha Stewart to shame and perhaps just a little bit of a nuisance. Or too much of a nuisance, her daughter Ellen (Renee Zellweger) might say, and a silly, simple, doting domestic archetype on top of that.
Ellen's very much the child of her father, an esteemed English professor named George (William Hurt), and has followed in his footsteps since she was a young child. Now, she's a career-driven reporter for "New York" magazine, and when she travels to her Pennsylvania hometown to celebrate George's birthday, she hangs on every word of his somewhat too-harsh criticism of her writing. But Ellen appears to be at a loss when it comes to handling the double-whammy that Kate has developed cancer, and her dad, too busy with his job, wants her to leave the city life to help out. She reluctantly complies, and begins to see her mother in a whole different light as a result.
The story might sound like fodder for a TV-movie-of-the-week, but "One True Thing" really couldn't be further removed from mawkish sentiment. Director Carl Franklin, taking a break from gritty crime-dramas like "One False Move" and "Devil in a Blue Dress," shows admirable restraint in his handling of the Guldens' crisis. It would be far too easy to turn the film into a scene after scene of button-pushing manipulation, but Franklin and screenwriter Karen Croner, adapting Anna Quindlen's novel, don't linger over the devastating details of the disease. Instead, their concentration is on the bond between parent and child, more specifically how little the latter truly knows about the former.
Of course, the one-two acting punch of Streep and Zellweger only enhances Thing's thoughtful, universal focus. Streep could play this type of role in her sleep, but that doesn't make her performance any less special — you really see her as this strong, admirable maternal whirlwind and not some 10-time Oscar nominee who deserves another award for her work here. Zellweger plays off Streep's sing-songy tones perfectly; her ultimate transformation is a heart-breaking one because she makes the loss of this woman she's just beginning to deeply understand painfully palpable. A sequence where Ellen grapples with a monumental decision while preparing Kate's dinner is an emotional doozy.
Happy stuff it's not, but neither does "One True Thing" wallow in somber unpleasantness. Even with Bette Midler tunes and maudlin piano chords dotting the soundtrack, this is one classy tearjerker, gentle and ever so undemanding the way it finally reduces you to a state of disquieted calm. And though the film might send audiences away questioning the manner in which they live their lives and inhabit their relationships, it ends on a hopeful, uplifting note, imploring all within earshot to cherish those who love you before they're gone forever. As soon as the credits hit the screen, there's no doubt that "One True Thing" is the run-home-from-the-theatre-and-hug-your-mom movie of the year.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ © 1998 Jamie Peck
E-mail: [email protected]
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