One True ThingYou can not say that ONE TRUE THING is a Meryl Streep film. You also can not say that it is your typical someone-stricken-with-a-deadly-disease film. If you do say this, you are doing a great disservice to the movie in question. After all, it is not a Meryl Streep film because it centers around Renee Zellweger and her problems. You can not say it is a typical disease film because it has a lot to say about other venues of life, ranging from family troubles to relationships.
Films like these are usually classified into the testosterone-dreaded "chick-flick" genre. But I went to see this film with two other guys and we were all moved to tears by it. I'd say we are all typical guys... we like shoot 'em up action and sex and nudity, but we also have our caring sides (hey, ladies, we're also available... ahem). First off, we did not originally plan to see this movie. We wanted to see Ronin but it had sold out. So had Rush Hour. So what were we to do? Go home and watch a video? Nah... but then I saw ONE TRUE THING and I suggested it. A little belligerent, we all decided to go for it, and bought our tickets. Little did we know that afterwards, we would be glad we had not seen an action film.
ONE TRUE THING begins with a confusing setup which is probably one of the very few flaws with the film. For a film like this to work, it must be straight-forward enough to keep the audience focused, but it also needs to have depth for us to care. Many voice-overs crowd the soundtrack, and since you don't know why they are, you are confused as to why they are talking. The only one that seems relevant to anything is Ellen Gulden (Renee Zellweger), who sits in front of a desk, explaining the events of her family to a mysterious man. Who is this man and why does he want to know about her family troubles? We find out right away that Ellen's mother is dead, so the mystery is not derived from whether or not she does. It's the matters surrounding her death. The man behind the desk is the district attorney. This mystery is surprisingly effective, but it also becomes one of the film's problems later on.
Ellen is a successful writer for a New York magazine about to hit it big with an article on a senator. However, she decides to take a break in order to go home for her father's birthday. Ellen absolutely adores her father. He taught her to love reading and writing, while she began to resent her mother's quirky personality. Her mother, Kate (Meryl Streep), has even asked everyone to dress up in costume for the party. Ellen decides to wear her favorite color: black. When asked who she is supposed to be, she replies, "Lizzie Borden... gave her mother forty whacks." Kate and Ellen obviously do not get along, but Kate is always trying to please her daughter. You can see the expression of disappointment on her face when she sees her daughter not in costume.
But they all lighten up when George (William Hurt) arrives home. George is a very critical man who won't really spare the feelings of anyone by telling them their work isn't good. Even to his daughter, "It lacked punch. But hey, it's your best one yet!" Through it all, though, she still adores him. That is, until he asks her to come home and tend Kate. Ellen finds out that her mother is afflicted with cancer and isn't expected to live much longer. However, she has a great job and she doesn't want to lose it. After some prodding, she accepts and manages to persuade her boss into letting her work as a freelance writer. Now, she must take over the daily routines that her mother has always been used to doing.
Kate is a little belligerent in letting her daughter take over, so she decides to help. Ellen quickly discovers how hard it is to be a housewife, and she wonders how her mother was able to do all she did without anyone noticing. In one of the most poignant scenes, Kate responds, "That's my job. You are my family. That's all that matters." Meanwhile, Ellen begins to suspect that her father is having an extramarital affair with one of his students. Quickly, her opinion of her parents switch. Her father appears to be destroying the family, while her mother is trying to keep it all together. One moment involves Kate, Ellen, and another woman driving around and having fun. Afterwards, Kate tells the angry Ellen that the woman lost her husband and stays inside her house for days upon end. "Every week we switch and someone takes her out for a good time." Ellen gradually realizes that her mother is a great person and she doesn't like herself for thinking the opposite.
Before entering the theater, I overheard one person say that it was supposed to be just like Terms of Endearment. Later I discovered that this statement is quite untrue, because the two films really only have one similarity: a disease. ONE TRUE THING is not about the disease, however. The disease almost seems like an afterthought by the writer. It merely serves as a plot point to push the main plot forward. The real message within this film is that your family is not who you may think, and that being a housewife is a job in and of itself. But so many little details concerning family life add infinitely to the overall impact. By the end, if you aren't weeping or struggling to hold back tears, you must be a hard-hearted cynic. The film has quite a few moments in which you find yourself brought to the threshold of crying.
And all of this is aided by the superb cast. Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep. I guess that is really the most complimentary thing to say about her. It doesn't matter what film she does, Streep has never, ever, ever given a bad performance. Her ten Oscar nominations are proof of that. Quite possibly the best cinematic actress to ever grace the screen, Streep fully embodies the characters she plays. There isn't a moment that you say, "It's just Meryl Streep playing a 'so-and-so' character." Whether it be deep drama like Sophie's Choice, black comedy like the incredibly underrated Death Becomes Her, or action like The River Wild, Streep always comes out on top. But it's not just Streep's movie. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Renee Zellweger outdoes her. Zellweger has a tough job and she must balance difficult emotions. She does it quite incredibly. Zellweger (who always looks like the singer Jewel... or is it the other way around?) has this undeniable charm that makes her easy to watch but also easy to accept as the character. Many actors have this problem. William Hurt is just incredible, back from his horrible turn in Lost In Space. Earlier this year, he co-starred in Dark City in which he "became" Inspector Bumstead. If you compare his performances in ONE TRUE THING and Dark City, he's almost unrecognizable. Hurt will definitely be down for an Oscar nomination as will the rest of the cast. One cast member left to the background is Tom Everett Scott who gives a very good performance. After his poorly received turns in An American Werewolf in Paris and Dead Man on Campus, Scott is back in a delightful role. The rest of the cast is really unnecessary to mention. Let's just say that everybody involved does a great job. Streep and Zellweger will probably be nominated in the same category, so it'll be interesting to see how it turns out. I think Zellweger should prevail though.
Director Carl Franklin has given this film a very nice visual style. With some interesting camera shots, Franklin makes sure to use the camera to tell the story visually. Most people won't notice it, which is good, but it's quite effective. Franklin also manages to use color and lighting rather well. During the interrogation scenes, the style is dark and dreary, while the flashbacks are bright and chipper. It's a nice change to see a film of this type actually pay attention to style. Screenwriter Karen Croner has adapted the Anna Quindlen novel of the same name very well. The one major problem has to be the mystery setup which causes many breaks in the story throughout. Just as soon as we become emotionally attached to the characters, the film jumps back to remind us that we are only watching a flashback. It's rather annoying, because the breaks in the narrative distract the audience. But aside from that, Croner does remember to include some delightful humor, keeping the film from wandering into the melodramatic. There are moments that provoke people to even laugh out loud.
ONE TRUE THING is rated R for language and some violence. I wonder why the film makers resorted to making this an R rated picture, because it could have been easy to remove most of the offensive language. However, that's a small quibble against and otherwise very good movie. It doesn't quite achieve greatness due to some of its noticable flaws, but it does entertain for its rather long running time. I didn't even notice and you probably won't either. Of course, this is an exercise in acting and story, so go prepared with tissues in hand. You'll more than likely need them, especially when you realize that what is portrayed on screen is exactly what your real life is like. Still quite early in the year, I'm sure we'll see some Oscar nominations handed out to ONE TRUE THING.